A to Z Disease

How Do We Catch Colds?

A cold virus generally enters your body through your eyes or nose. The virus itself can be found in nasal secretions. Although a common cold can spread through inhaling droplets from other people's sneezes and coughs, it often spreads through hand-to-hand contact with someone who has a cold, or by touching shared objects. If you touch your eyes or nose after a virus is on your hands, there's a good chance you'll catch that cold.

What Are the Symptoms Of A Cold?

The typical symptoms of the common cold are:

• Runny or stuffy nose
• Sneezing
• Scratchy or sore throat
• Cough
• Slight body aches or a mild headache
• Watery eyes
• Low fever - less than 102 F
• Mild fatigue.

As the common cold runs its course, you'll notice that the discharge from your nose may become thicker and yellow or green.

What makes a cold different from the flu for instance, is that with a cold you generally won't have a high fever. And although you may feel really uncomfortable, you probably won't feel extremely tired or "knocked out" from a common cold.

Who Is Most At Risk For Catching A Cold?

Children catch colds easily since their resistance isn't fully developed. Kids also aren't too careful about washing hands after close contact with other kids.

Adults who spend a lot of time indoors in close contact with other people, have kids, or have allergies that affect the nasal passages are susceptible to colds. Stress may also increase the chance of catching a cold.

It's easier for colds to spread in the winter, fall and even rainy seasons when people spend more time indoors.

Preventing A Cold

Now, the best way to avoid getting a cold is to protect yourself from the viruses that cause the illness in the first place.

• Wash your hands frequently. If water isn't available, then use an alcohol-based hand gel or wipe.
• Scrub your stuff. Keep doorknobs, handles and countertops clean, especially when someone in your family has a cold. Wash your child's toys after playtime if your child has a cold.
• Use tissues. Always sneeze and cough into tissues and throw them away immediately, or, if you don't have a tissue, sneeze or cough directly into your sleeve.
• Don't share. Use your own glass and utensils when you or someone else is sick.
• Stay away. Avoid having close contact with anyone who has a common cold for an extended period.
• Don't touch your face! Remember, your eyes and nose are direct entry points for the common cold virus.

Treating A Cold

Since there is no cure, the only way to rid yourself of a cold is to wait it out and treat the symptoms. Here are some things you can do:

• Drink plenty of fluids. Avoid alcohol, caffeine and cigarette smoke, which can cause dehydration and aggravate your symptoms.
• Get some rest. If you have a bad cold, you should stay home from work. No one will miss you if you're sick, and they'll be happy you didn't give it to them too.
• Adjust your room's temperature and humidity. Keep your room warm, but not overheated. If the air is dry, use a cool-mist humidifier or vaporizer to moisten the air.
• Soothe your throat. Gargling with warm salt water several times a day or drinking warm lemon water with honey may help soothe a sore throat and relieve a cough.
• Use saline nasal drops or sprays. You can purchase these drops over-the-counter, and they're effective, safe and nonirritating, even for children. Watch out for the decongestant nasal sprays. They should not be used longer than three days.
• Consider over-the-counter cold medicine. These won't make a cold go away any sooner, but they can relieve some symptoms. Please read the packing very carefully before taking any cold medication. Some of them should not be used in people with certain medical conditions.

For fever, sore throat or headache, try acetaminophen or ibuprofen. If your child has a cold, do not use aspirin. It may cause Reye's syndrome, a rare but potentially serious disease.

For runny nose and nasal congestion, you can take an antihistamine or decongestant. For a cough, try a basic cough syrup with an expectorant and maybe a suppressant if your cough is mild.

When To Call The Doctor

There is the chance that you or your child may actually have something more serious than a common cold, like the flu, which may require treatment from a doctor. Here's how to know the difference between a cold and the flu:

A cold usually peaks in two to three days and lasts for about a week, with possible mild leftover symptoms for an additional week. If you're an adult and have had symptoms for more than a week without improvement, or a fever higher than 102 degrees F, aches, fatigue, sweating or cough with colored phlegm, you should see your doctor.

In general, children get colds more frequently than adults. Your child doesn't need to see the doctor for a routine common cold, but you'll need to seek medical attention right away if your child has any of the following signs or symptoms:

• Fever of 103 degrees F or higher, chills or sweating
• Fever that lasts more than 72 hours
• Vomiting or abdominal pain
• Unusual sleepiness
• Severe headache
• Difficulty breathing
• Persistent crying
• Ear pain, which may be a sign of an ear infection

Infants may simply cry or pull on the affected ear. Unlike a common cold, ear infections may require treatment with antibiotics, so be sure to see your doctor if you think your child may have an ear infection.

Don't let a cold get you down. Keep an eye on your symptoms to make sure they don't get worse.