Common Cold: Symptoms, Cold vs. Flu, How Long It Lasts, Treatment
Answers
Answer:
What is a cold?
A cold is a contagious upper respiratory infection that affects your nose, throat, sinuses and trachea (windpipe). More than 200 different viruses can cause a cold, but most colds are caused by a rhinovirus.
How common are colds?
As its name implies, the common cold is widespread. You’ll probably have more colds in your lifetime than any other illness. Adults catch two to three colds a year, while young children come down with a cold four or more times a year.
Are colds contagious?
Colds spread from person to person. For you to become infected, the virus has to get to one of your mucous membranes — the moist lining of the nostrils, eyes or mouth. That happens when you touch a surface or breathe moist air that contains the cold virus.
For example, when a sick person sneezes or coughs, droplets of fluid containing the cold virus are launched into the air. If you breathe in those droplets, the cold virus takes root in your nose. You can also leave virus particles on surfaces you touch when you’re sick. If someone else touches those surfaces and then touches their nostrils, eyes or mouth, the virus can get in.
Why do colds occur in the winter?
You can catch a cold any time of year, but it’s more likely during colder months. In winter, people stay indoors and are in closer contact with each other.
A recent study in mice suggests cold temperatures may also affect your immune system’s response. Researchers found that when cooler air lowered nose temperature, mouse immune systems had a harder time stopping the rhinovirus from multiplying. The same may be true in humans.
Why do children get more colds?
Because young children haven’t been exposed to viruses before, they get more colds than adults. Their immune systems have to learn how to recognize and deal with these new germs. By the time you become an adult, you’ve had many colds. It’s easier for your immune system to identify and attack similar viruses.
Children are also in close contact with other children. Kids typically don’t cover their coughs and sneezes or wash their hands before touching their faces — steps that prevent the virus from spreading.