The common cold

What causes them?

There are more than 200 different viruses that cause colds and this is one of the reasons we get so many.
Top of the list are rhinoviruses, but coronaviruses, adenoviruses and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can all cause colds, too. So, just as your body develops immunity to one type of virus, another that you haven’t encountered before comes along and makes you ill.

How are colds spread?

You may have been taught that 'coughs and sneezes spread diseases', but colds aren't always passed on through airborne droplets or particles.
The most important way they're spread is via direct contact with an infected person. Typically, the person with the cold touches their nose or coughs on to their hand, leaving thousands of microscopic virus particles on their skin.
When they then touch an object such as a door handle, shopping trolley or another human, they leave the virus behind. The next person to touch the object takes the virus with them.
All that's needed to trigger a cold is a dozen or so virus particles. If the person who has picked up the cold virus touches their own nose or eyes, they deposit it in a warm, moist environment where it can thrive.
The virus particles are swept to the adenoids at the back of the throat, where they stick to the cells, invade them and reproduce. Eventually, the cells rupture, releasing thousands of new virus particles to spread to other cells.
This process is remarkably rapid – it takes just eight to 12 hours from the arrival of the virus in your body to release of new virus particles.
Symptoms also develop quickly – within about ten hours (this is known as the incubation period). So, in less than half a day of shaking hands with a person with a cold, you too could have all the unpleasant symptoms.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms are mostly caused by the body's reaction to the cold virus, which triggers the release of chemicals that make the blood vessels leaky and send the mucous glands into overtime.
As a result, the nasal passages become swollen and choked with secretions.
Cold symptoms reach their peak after 36 to 72 hours and include:

• Dry, scratchy sore throat (usually the first sign of a cold).
• Runny nose and sneezing.
• Hoarse voice.
• Blocked, snuffly nose.
• Cough.
• Mild headache.
• Mild fever.
• Generally feeling unwell or muzzy headed.

Symptoms should start to improve after three days and be gone after about seven days (but they may persist for up to two weeks).
As many as one in four people with a cold doesn't develop any symptoms, possibly because their immune system doesn't react to the virus in the usual way.
It's easy to confuse a cold with early flu, but in general flu is more severe and produces a higher fever (above 38oC) and more generalised symptoms throughout the body such as aching muscles, lethargy, shivers, nausea and vomiting.

What's the treatment?

Despite decades of research, there's no simple cure for colds. The antibiotics used against bacterial infections don't have any effect on viruses, and antiviral drugs used for other viral infections aren't useful against the viruses that cause colds.
Most colds resolve rapidly on their own, but there are things you can do to make symptoms less unpleasant.

• Keep well hydrated - being dehydrated can make a cold feel much worse, so drink at least eight glasses of clear fluid a day.
• Use a humidifier to stop central heating from drying out the mucous membranes lining your nose and upper airways.
• Treat nasal congestion using vapour rubs or taking decongestant drugs.
• Take simple analgesia such as paracetamol or ibuprofen regularly to keep on top of pain and fever.
• Cough mixtures may help to suppress a dry, tickly cough, while some, known as 'expectorants' help you to cough up excessive mucus.
• Try anaesthetic throat lozenges or gargle with salt water for a sore throat.
• Anti-histamines such as cetirizine may reduce the runny nose and sneezing but won't improve the cold overall.
• Get plenty of rest, and eat regularly to keep energy levels from flagging.

The benefits of vitamin C supplements for both the prevention and treatment of colds remains controversial.
A recent review of more than 30 studies showed that during periods of intense stress people can half their risk of catching a cold by taking vitamin C. But there's only a very minor effect on the duration and severity of symptoms once someone has the infection.
Some people argue that much higher doses of vitamin C need to be taken.
Many other treatments have been tested. Some, such as the herbal treatment echinacea, may be useful, but there isn't enough evidence yet to recommend these therapies. Inhaling steam has been used traditionally, often with menthol, but whilst anecdotally it helps some people, there is insufficient scientific evidence to assess its value.
Zinc has been shown to reduce the duration and severity of cold symptoms in healthy people if taken within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms. In one study, Zinc supplements taken for at least five months were found to reduce the incidence of colds. However there is no standard recommendation about dose, formulation and duration of use.

What are the complications?

If symptoms persist for over 2 weeks, or if you are increasingly unwell, or develop breathing problems, see your doctor. Serious secondary infections, such as pneumonia, can follow, especially if you actually have flu rather than a cold. Although a cold can cause simple viral congestion of the nasal passages and symptoms of sinusitis, around one in 200 colds is complicated by a bacterial infection of the paranasal sinuses, which may need antibiotic or other treatment.
Among children, colds often lead to bacterial infections of the middle ear but this is much less common in adults.
Colds can also aggravate asthma and chronic bronchitis and in patients with these conditions the cold symptoms may last longer.

Keeping your cold to yourself

You're most contagious during the first three days of a cold, when you shed huge amounts of the virus from your nose.

• Avoid contact with other people.
• Wash your hands frequently.
• Avoid touching your nose and eyes.
• Use disposable tissues and bin used ones promptly.                                                       READMORE:http://www.bbc.co.uk/health