The typical cold is really a contagious viral infection of the upper respiratory tract (nose and throat). It is self-limiting, meaning that it clears up by itself without the need for unique medical treatment. The disease got its name in the sixteenth century, when English doctors noticed that colds are more frequent in northern countries during the winter months and thought that exposure to low temperatures caused colds.
It was not until the eighteenth century that Benjamin Franklin suggested that cold weather by itself doesn't trigger colds but helps them to spread by driving people indoors where they're crowded more closely together. Even though viruses had not been discovered by Franklin's day, he was correct in thinking that colds are transmitted from one person to an additional via the air or by direct contact.
The typical cold is one of the most widespread infectious diseases in the world. It's caused by about 200 different viruses belonging to at least eight different families of viruses. For most people, the classic symptoms of a cold are an irritated nose or scratchy throat within eight hours to two days after infection, followed rapidly by a runny nose and sneezing. Although many individuals experience headaches, general tiredness, and loss of appetite as well, the main symptoms of a cold are in the nose.
A person can get a cold by inhaling the virus directly if they're sitting close to an infected individual who is sneezing or coughing. They may also get a cold by touching their eyes, nose, or mouth after touching an object or surface contaminated by the virus. Research indicates that cold viruses can live on skin for as long as two hours and on drinking glasses or other hard surfaces for as lengthy as four days. People with colds are most likely to spread the virus to other people during the first two to 3 days of infection. After that they're much less contagious.
No exact statistics are kept on the number of colds each year in the United States or in any other country because the illness is so common and numerous individuals take care of their symptoms at home. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that people in the United States suffer about 1 billion colds every year; kids lose between 22 and 189 million school days in an average year, and their parents lose 126 million work days to stay home and take care of them. Other employees miss an average of 150 million work days every year simply because of colds. The total impact of colds on the American economy comes to an estimated $20 billion per year.
Colds are equally typical in individuals of all races and ethnic groups. Some studies indicate that boys younger than three are more likely than girls to get colds in day care settings; nevertheless, in older kids and adults, males and females are equally likely to get colds. In terms of age, kids get colds more frequently than adults. Children average three to eight colds every year, and parents frequently get colds from their children. Colds turn out to be much less frequent in later life, nevertheless; on average, individuals over sixty have much less than one cold a year.
Colds are more common in North America during the fall and winter months, when children are in school and adults are spending more time indoors. In tropical climates, colds are most common during the rainy season, as humid conditions increase the viruses' survival time outside the human body.
The typical cold is caused by at least 200 viruses that had been identified as of 2008. A cold virus usually enters the body via the nasal passages or mouth, but may also enter via the mucous membranes covering the eyes. The virus spreads to the tissues lining the area between the nose and also the back of the throat, where it rapidly multiplies. Within hours or a day or two after the virus enters the body, the infected individual feels a scratchy sensation at the back of the throat, followed by sneezing along with a constant flow of runny mucus from the nose. Researchers think that these symptoms are caused by the body's immune response to the virus instead of by tissue damage caused by the virus. In addition to the runny nose, sneezing, and coughing associated with the common cold, people may also have:
For most individuals, the diagnosis of a cold is obvious from its symptoms, particularly if they know they have recently been exposed to someone else with a cold. Most individuals do not need to see a doctor to be diagnosed with a cold. They ought to, nevertheless, see their doctor if they've any of the following symptoms, which might indicate an allergy or a more serious illness:
There is no cure for the common cold. Treatment is aimed at relieving the sneezing along with other symptoms until the body's immune system clears the virus. Even though many people ask their doctors for antibiotics to treat a cold, it is essential to know that antibiotics are not effective against viruses. In reality, overprescribing of antibiotics is really a main factor in the emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The physician will, however, prescribe antibiotics if the patient has developed a sinus infection caused by bacteria.
Most people recover from a cold in seven to eleven days with no longterm complications. Children, nevertheless, might develop earaches following a cold.
There's no vaccine effective against colds. The following precautions, nevertheless, can lower a person's risk of getting frequent colds:
A number of drug companies are working on antiviral drugs that might help people recover from colds more rapidly. One such drug is being tested in an oral form while a second drug is being developed that could be applied as a nasal spray. One limitation of these drugs, however, is that they would work only against cold viruses belonging to one of the eight groups recognized to trigger the common cold.
The development of an effective vaccine against colds is considered unlikely. One reason is the sheer number of viruses known to cause colds. An additional reason is that these viruses mutate (change their DNA) very rapidly; thus any vaccine that might be developed could be outdated by the time it entered clinical trials, let alone be approved for use.
Our website is not responsible for the information contained by this article. Webworldarticles.com is a free articles resource thus practically any visitor can submit an article. However if you notice any copyrighted material, please contact us and we will remove the article(s) in discussion right away.
This article was sent to us by:
Alexis Kellgen at
01142011
1. Brain Tumors: types symptoms and possible treatments
All articles in this directory are property of their respective authors. Additionally, read our Privacy Policy
© 2010 WebWorldarticles.com - All Rights Reserved. Partners: Gunblade Saga