Colds are infections that plague people most often. Many viruses can cause the disease with a sore throat, runny nose and cough.
In the vast majority of cases of colds, viruses attack the upper respiratory tract. The severity and type of symptoms can vary. The nose (runny nose), throat (scratchy throat, sore throat, difficulty swallowing) and bronchi (cough, bronchitis) are usually affected. In addition, many people with a cold also suffer from exhaustion, a feeling of pressure in the head, increased temperature and pain in the joints and limbs.
In the case of severe cold symptoms in particular, many of those affected like to speak of a flu-like infection. Although the name is similar, influenza infections have nothing to do with the real flu.
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| Cold causes and symptoms |
Cold Causes, risk factors and frequency
Colds are not caused by the cold, but are almost always caused by viruses. Experts know more than 200 different pathogens that belong to different genera and come from different families. These viruses change frequently. Because of this and because of the high number of colds, there is no vaccination: it would only provide incomplete protection and would quickly lose its effectiveness. Infections occur both through the air (droplet infection), for example through coughed up viruses, and through objects (smear infection) that are contaminated with pathogens. The viruses get to doorknobs, handrails, handles and towels through the hands of people who have a cold.
There are no specific risk factors for the common cold. Everything that weakens the immune system and the mucous membranes increases the risk - such as an unbalanced diet, lack of exercise, stress and lack of sleep. Cold reduces the resistance of the mucous membranes, dryness irritates them. The risk of infection is therefore greater in winter, when many people often crowd into heated rooms with dry air. The risk also increases through close contact with people who have a cold and with objects that many people touch.
Colds are the most common human infections. On average, adults catch a cold two to three times a year. Children can even catch a cold more than a dozen times a year.
Cold Symptoms
Does your throat feel rough, scratchy and slightly painful to swallow?
Is your nose running, tickling and causing you to sneeze?
Then you've almost certainly caught a cold. People catch colds with unpleasant regularity, especially in winter. Typically, they begin with a sore or sore throat, followed by a classic runny nose. At the same time or shortly thereafter, bronchitis, i.e. coughing, almost always occurs. The nose is "blocked". People who have a cold often feel pressure in their heads, pain in their limbs, and weakness or lightheadedness. In addition, many people with a cold suffer from hoarseness. If the feeling of pressure in the head increases when bending forward or with sudden movements and shaking, parts of the paranasal sinuses are very likely inflamed. The body temperature can increase, but only rises briefly above 39 °C in exceptional cases. Colds are annoying but usually harmless: the symptoms usually go away in seven to 10 days if there are no complications, which rarely happens. Colds can spread to the middle ear (middle ear infection) or the lungs (e.g. pneumonia). Then other problems develop.
When to the doctor?
- Healthy people rarely have to go to the doctor's office for a cold. However, professional examinations are definitely advisable if the feeling of illness is unusually strong or the fever is high (39 °C or more) and lasts longer than a day. The same applies if pain (e.g. in joints, throat, ear) or other symptoms (e.g. cough, difficulty swallowing) become severe and last for more than two days. It could be a complication, the flu, or other more serious conditions. This possibility exists, for example, with unusual symptoms such as shortness of breath, extreme exhaustion, coughing with purulent-yellow or bloody sputum, spasmodic coughing fits, clouded consciousness, visual or speech disorders, severe headaches in combination with neck pain and other abnormalities. It is also suspicious if there is still no improvement in the symptoms after a week or if the symptoms increase again.
- People with a weakened immune system (e.g. immune deficiency, transplantation, cancer therapy), serious or chronic diseases, asthma and old age have an increased risk of complications. Expert advice increases your security. You should contact him at the latest when unusual or unusually severe symptoms occur.
- Pregnant women should discuss their treatment measures with specialists. There are often additional risks during pregnancy.
- Special care is also required when babies or young children get a fever.
Cold or Flu?
Although different pathogens are responsible, colds and flu are not always easy to tell apart: A really bad cold can feel almost as bad as a mild flu. This is where the term “flu-like infection” comes from. However, the real flu is a serious illness and leads to complications much more often than a cold. The following list summarizes the most important distinguishing features in the typical courses of both infections.
A cold:
- Onset of symptoms: slow, usually with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose
- Fever: rather rare, only elevated temperature (up to 38.5 °C)
- Rhinitis: very frequent urge to sneeze, runny and/or blocked nose
- Malaise: weak to medium, slight exhaustion
- Headaches/body aches: mild to moderate
- Onset of symptoms: quickly, usually immediately with high fever and body aches
- Fever: frequent and high (often over 38.5 °C), also chills
- Sniffles: rare
- Malaise: strong, often pronounced exhaustion
- Headaches/body aches: severe to very severe