FLU
: COMMON COLD
Acute
viral nasopharyngitis, or acute coryza, usually known as the common cold, is
a highly contagious, viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory system,
primarily caused by picornaviruses or coronaviruses.Common
symptoms are sore throat, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing and cough;
sometimes accompanied by 'pink eye', muscle aches, fatigue, malaise, headaches,
muscle weakness, and/or loss of appetite. Fever and extreme exhaustion are more
usual in influenza. The symptoms of a cold usually resolve after about one week,
but can last up to 14 days. Symptoms may be more severe in infants and young
children. Although the disease is generally mild and self-limiting, patients
with common colds often seek professional medical help, use over-the-counter
drugs, and may miss school or work days. The annual cumulative societal cost
of the common cold in developed countries is considerable in terms of money
spent on remedies, and hours of work lost.
No vaccines
are available; however, once one has caught one of the many cold viruses, one
is immune and may never catch that particular strain again[citation needed].
The primary method to prevent infection is hand-washing to minimize person-to-person
transmission of the virus. There are no antiviral drugs approved to treat or
cure the infection. Most available medications are palliative and treat symptoms
only. Megadoses of vitamin C, preparations from echinacea, and zinc gluconate
have been studied as treatments for the common cold although none has been approved
by the Food and Drug Administration or European Medicines Agency.(1)