An Overview of the Cold and Flu
The Common Cold
The common cold is not caused by any single entity. It is caused by a virus from one of five families. The most common cold-causing viruses are the rhinovirus, the coronavirus, and influenza viruses.
The Common Cold is COMMON!
American adults average 2 to 4 colds per year while children average 6 to 8 colds per year. Nearly one billion colds occur in the United States every year. This results in over 50 million inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions being handed out each year.
Epidemiology
Colds can occur any time of the year, but there is an increased incidence during autumn and winter months. The chance of getting a cold during the summer is only 1 in 4 compared to winter. The main reservoir of the viruses that cause the common cold is young children. Therefore, crowding of children in schools and daycare is a key factor in seasonal outbreaks. Your mother may have warned you that you'd catch a cold if you left the house with your hair wet. But studies involving the chilling of volunteers showed that cold weather in and of itself is NOT associated with illness.
Spread
The two main methods by which the cold is spread are through direct contact and aerosols (i.e. the droplets of mucus you sneeze out of your nose and mouth). A person is most likely to spread the virus when they have the early symptoms: sneezing, runny nose and coughing. Hand-washing and minimizing direct physical contact may help stop the spread of the virus, but quarantine is of no value.
Symptoms / Clinical Course
The incubation period of the cold is between 24 and 72 hours after the infection. The symptoms include runny nose, congestion, headache, sore throat, coughing, and sneezing. Fevers are more common in children. There is a rapid onset of symptoms which escalate during the first 3 days.
Complications
The median duration of the common cold is 7 days. About 25% of colds last up to 14 days. Smokers may experience increased duration and severity of symptoms. Complications that accompany the common cold are rare (less than 5% of cases). They include sinusitis, otitis media (middle ear infections) and bronchitis and are caused by bacterial super-infection of otherwise sterile sites.
The Flu
The flu is characterized by seasonal outbreaks with the peak of the flu season occurring between December and March. The flu may resemble common cold, but may involve fevers, aches, dry cough, and lethargy. The majority of people will recover from the flu within one to two weeks, but some may develop complications. Infants, the elderly, and people with certain chronic diseases (heart, lung, diabetes, HIV) are at higher risk for developing complications. The flu is treated similarly to the way the common cold is treated: with rest, plenty of liquids, avoidance of tobacco and alcohol, and the use of medications to relieve the symptoms experienced as a result of infection. Stress management may also decrease the chances of getting the flu and increase the chances of recovering more quickly.
Symptomatic Treatment
You should NEVER give aspirin to a teenager or child with the flu, especially if a fever accompanies the infection as well. Aspirin could cause a rare, but serious disease called Reye syndrome. Using the following methods may alleviate symptoms: decongestants, treatment of fever, fluids, lozenges, and gargles.
Recommended Over-the-Counter Medications
| Drug | Therapeutic Effects | |
| Cough Preparations | Robitussin
Syrup |
Expectorant to loosen mucus |
| Robitussin DM Syrup | Loosen mucus and cough suppressant | |
| Fever, Head and Muscle Aches | Acetaminophen
tablets |
Anti-pyretic for fever, analgesic for headache and muscle aches |
| Ibuprofen tablets | Anti-pyretic for fever, analgesic for headache and muscle aches | |
| Itchy, Watery, Burning Eyes | Generic tear drops | Relieves, itching and dryness. |
| Nasal Congestion | Actifed Nasal Spray | Decongestant and antihistamine. Dries nasal secretions. |
| Chlorpheniramine tablets | Oral antihistmine. Dries nasal secretions. | |
| Afrin Nasal Spray | Nasal decongestant, not to be used for longer than three days. | |
| Sudodrin tablets | Nasal decongestant | |
| Sore Throat | Sepasoothe
lozenge |
Throat anesthetic |
Why Not Antibiotics?
Patients’ reasons for requesting antibiotics often include being too busy to get sick, thinking that colds “always” progress to something bad, and that their previous doctors “always” prescribed antibiotics. These reasons, however, do not get past the fact that antibiotics. Don't work for viral infections. They may also cause undesirable side effects and allergic reactions. A person may also develop a resistance to antibiotics over time if they are used too often or for inappropriate reasons.
