Common Cold
Definition
The common cold is a viral infection of the upper respiratory system. The upper respiratory system includes the nose, throat, sinuses, eustachian (pronounced yoo-STA-shuhn) tubes, trachea (pronounced TRAY-kee-uh), larynx, and bronchial tubes. More than two hundred different viruses can cause a cold. A group of viruses known as the rhinoviruses, however, causes about 30 to 50 percent of all colds. Almost all colds clear up in less than two weeks without complications.
Description
Colds are sometimes called rhinovirus or coronavirus (pronounced kuh-RO-nuh-vie-russ) infections. They are the most common infections to affect any part of the body. Experts estimate that the average person has more than fifty colds during a lifetime. Anyone can catch a cold. The disease is most common, however, among children. Repeated exposure to the viruses that cause colds helps to prevent against future occurrences of the disease.
An individual who has a cold usually recovers without special treatment. Still, colds are the leading cause of visits to doctors and of time lost from work and school. Americans spend millions of dollars each year for over-the-counter medications designed to treat cold symptoms.
Cold season in the United States begins in early fall and extends through early spring.
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