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Common Cold

Uploaded by mumsa1 on Apr 04, 2012

People of all ages suffer from a common cold from time to time. However, women suffer from common colds more frequently than men, due to playing with and caring for children more and catching a cold from them as a result of close contact.

In this article:

What is a common cold?

Symptoms

Causes

Diagnosis

Effect on your life

Treatment

How Chemist Online can help

What is a common cold?
Common colds are contagious. When someone with a common cold sneezes or coughs, the cold virus spreads to those in close proximity to them. The specks of cold virus fluid that ‘shoot’ through the air are breathed in by others, and they too then quickly begin to show signs and symptoms of a common cold.

When the upper respiratory tract which is made up of the nose, throat, sinuses, etc., is infected with a common cold viral infection, a range of symptoms occur which combine and basically leave you feeling ‘bunged up’, weak and miserable for a few days.

The good news is that most common colds clear up within a week and cannot be regarded as a serious or life-threatening health condition.

Symptoms
Symptoms of common cold include:

Cough

Sore throat

Blocked up nose (nasal congestion)

Sneezing

Runny nose

Headache

Hoarse voice

Fever-like symptoms and chills

An overall feeling of being rundown, off colour and in need of a few days rest in order to recover

Causes
The common cold is caused by a virus. In fact, there are as many as 200 different viruses which can cause a common cold to develop.

As we have seen, common colds are contagious – you catch them from other people. This does not necessarily mean through direct bodily contact (kissing, breathing in an infected person’s breath due to being in close proximity to them, etc.).

If someone with a common cold touches a household object such as a telephone or a kitchen cupboard handle, they can pass on the common cold virus this way, too. If, after touching the ‘infected’ phone or cupboard door handle, you then bring your hand to your mouth or nose, you can then very easily ‘catch’ the common cold virus this way.

In fact, catching a common cold is so easy to do; it is not surprising that across the UK millions of people struggle with common cold each year.

Diagnosis
Most people ‘self-diagnose’ their common cold and take over-the-counter-remedies to help cope with and ease symptoms – until their cold eventually disappears. However, if you are suffering from the aforementioned...

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Uploaded by:   mumsa1

Date:   04/04/2012

Category:   Medicine

Length:   4 pages (880 words)

Views:   4296

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