What is a cold actually? A cold is an inflammation of the lining in your upper airways. This includes the nose, throat and sinuses (the connecting cavities between your nose, throat and ears). This inflammation or irritation causes the mucous membranes to swell and produce more mucus (snot). A cold is very contagious. With the water droplets that form at cough and sneezing you easily spread the pathogen to others. What we all know by now about the corona virus also applies here: always cough and sneeze in your elbow and wash your hands regularly. Especially after touching your face.
Cold Causes: Cold Virus
The common cold is caused by the so-called rhinovirus (‘virus of the nose’) in most cases. You catch a cold virus more easily if you have a reduced resistance have. In small children the resistance is still developing, so that they catch a cold more often than adults. The elderly and sick people are also more likely to catch a cold.
Cold complaints can also develop as a symptom with other illnesses. The cause is not a cold virus, but another virus or a bacterial infection. Some illnesses where a cold is a symptom: flu (influenza virus), COVID-19 (coronavirus), allergy (for example to pollen or dust mites).
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The incubation period (the time between infection and the first symptoms) of a cold is one to three days. Complaints that occur with a cold are:
An average cold lasts one to three weeks. Most symptoms disappear after a few days, but the cough in particular can last for more than a week. Doesn’t the cold go away? If a child or adult has a frequent or prolonged cold, this may indicate a reduced resistance, a allergy or a asthmatic condition. Read more about it here chronic cold.
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Effects of a cold
Inflammation of the various mucous membranes from a cold virus can cause other conditions. Even if your cold is (almost) over, you can therefore still suffer from complaints. Some conditions that can result from a cold:
- Rhinitis: inflammation of the nasal mucosa, also called colds of the nose.
- Pharyngitis: laryngitis.
- Sinusitis: sinus inflammation.
- Acute bronchitis: inflammation of the upper branches of the trachea.
- Otitis media: middle ear infection.
Cold or flu?
A bad cold causes a ‘flu-like feeling’. You then feel stiff and limp. However, a bad cold is not the same as flu. With the flu you get much sicker and you always have a fever. Not sure if you have the flu or a cold? Check your symptoms:
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A cold is not a cause for concern. Not even if it looks like the flu. Usually a cold will go away on its own after one to three weeks. There is no horse cure for the common cold. However, the following tips can help to relieve the symptoms:
- Take a steam bath or use a humidifier. Be careful with (small) children and steamers. If the hot water falls over your child, you can burns originate.
- Use a nasal spray or saline solution against the stuffy nose. Make sure you don’t use a nasal spray too much or too long. Read the package leaflet and adhere to the instructions for use.
- Drink a lot. Preferably water, tea or fruit juice.
- Rest well.
- Optionally, you can take a painkiller (such as paracetamol) take. The cold will not go away faster because of this. You only suppress the symptoms, but this makes you feel better temporarily.
- It is better not to smoke, especially during a cold. Smoking irritates the mucous membranes, making your cold last longer than usual.
- Keep your body warm when you fever have.
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When to see the doctor?
It is wise to contact your doctor if you:
- cough for more than two weeks.
- have a sore throat for more than one week or if it gets much worse.
- fever that lasts longer than five days.
- heel stuffy bent.
- have wheezing.
- have a fever that comes back after it has been gone.
- have pain in your jaw, molars or when bending over for more than five days.
- coughing up a lot of mucus or blood.
- are drowsy.
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Colds in babies
The above advice also applies to children and babies. However, you should pay extra attention to children and babies when they have a cold. Contact your doctor if:
- your baby of three months or younger has a fever.
- your baby of six months or younger earache has a severe cough or cannot be comforted properly.
- your baby, six months or older, has a cough and fever for more than five days.
- your child drinks half of normal (or less).
- your baby has been in contact with someone with whooping cough.
- your child’s cold lasts for more than two weeks.
- your child’s symptoms get worse.
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For this article we collaborated with Gezondheidsplein.nl. There you will find many more articles on health, checked by doctors and medical specialists.
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