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Health Tips
What Do You Know About the Common Cold?
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Nov 20, 2017 - 12:41:55 PM

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - The common cold is a viral infection of your nose and throat (upper respiratory tract). It's usually harmless, although it might not feel that way. Many types of viruses can cause a common cold.

Children younger than six are at greatest risk of colds, but healthy adults can also expect to have two or three colds annually.

Most people recover from a common cold in a week or 10 days. Symptoms might last longer in people who smoke. If symptoms don't improve, see your doctor.

Symptoms

Symptoms of a common cold usually appear one to three days after exposure to a cold-causing virus. Signs and symptoms, which can vary from person to person, might include:

The discharge from your nose may become thicker and yellow or green in color as a common cold runs its course. This isn't an indication of a bacterial infection.

When to see a doctor

For adults — seek medical attention if you have:

For children — in general, your child doesn't need to see the doctor for a common cold. But seek medical attention right away if your child has any of the following:

Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic

Causes

Although many types of viruses can cause a common cold, rhinoviruses are the most common culprit.

A cold virus enters your body through your mouth, eyes or nose. The virus can spread through droplets in the air when someone who is sick coughs, sneezes or talks.

It also spreads by hand-to-hand contact with someone who has a cold or by sharing contaminated objects, such as utensils, towels, toys or telephones. If you touch your eyes, nose or mouth after such contact or exposure, you're likely to catch a cold.

Risk factors

These factors can increase your chances of getting a cold:

Complications

Prevention

There's no vaccine for the common cold, but you can take common-sense precautions to slow the spread of cold viruses:

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