$Unique_ID{PAR00040}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Medical Advice:  Common Cold}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{
Editors of Consumer Guide
Chasnoff, Ira J}
$Subject{Common Cold Nasal congestion Sneezing Clear nasal discharge Scratchy
sore throat Fever Red watery eyes Dry cough Swollen tender lymph nodes ear
pain ears viral infection upper respiratory tract sinuses tear ducts
eustachian tubes germ germs virus viruses}
$Log{
Common Cold Symptoms*0004001.tif}

Your Child:  A Medical Guide


Common Cold


     Quick Reference

     SYMPTOMS
     - Nasal congestion
     - Sneezing
     - Clear nasal discharge
     - Scratchy sore throat
     - Fever
     - Red, watery eyes
     - Dry cough
     - Swollen, tender lymph nodes in the neck
     - Mild pain in the ears

     HOME CARE
     - Give the child plenty of liquids.
     - Do not permit strenuous activities while the child has a fever.
     - Increase room humidity with a vaporizer or humidifier.
     - Give acetaminophen for fever or pain.
     - Use nose drops or oral decongestants and a nasal aspirator to relieve
       nasal congestion.
     - Use cough medicine if the cough is severe.
     - Isolate the child, particularly from infants and the elderly.

     PRECAUTIONS
     - Do not overuse cold medications.  Overuse can cause more harm than
       good.
     - Do not expose young infants to anyone with a cold, even a mild one.
     - The following are usually not cold symptoms, but signs of another
       illness:  fever lasting more than two or three days; pus-like discharge
       from the eyes, nose, or ears; redness or extreme tenderness of the
       lymph nodes in the neck; breathing difficulties; chest pain; severe
       headache; stiff neck; vomiting; chills accompanied by shaking;
       prostration (collapse).  If any of these symptoms occurs, call your
       doctor.


     A cold is a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract.  The
infection causes discomfort in the throat, nose, and sinuses.  A cold
sometimes also affects the eyes (connected to the nose by the tear ducts), the
ears (connected to the nose by the eustachian tubes), and the lymph nodes of
the neck (connected to the nose by lymph channels).  A cold is transmitted
from person to person through the air or by droplets on the hands or on
objects (for example, toys, drinking glasses, and handkerchiefs).  Symptoms
may develop within two to seven days after exposure to a cold virus.  People
of all ages are subject to catching colds, but younger children and infants
are particularly at risk from colds.
     Many years were spent trying to develop a vaccine against the cold germ.
Then it was discovered that there is not just one cold germ.  Colds are caused
by many different viruses, and all respiratory viruses can cause common colds.
An attack by one type of virus makes a person immune to only that virus.
Often this immunity lasts only for a short time.
     Many cold viruses can cause complications, such as croup, laryngitis,
bronchitis, bronchiolitis, viral pneumonia, and encephalitis.  All cold
viruses can make a child more susceptible to bacterial infections, such as ear
infections, sinus infections, lymph infections, and bacterial pneumonia.  No
child's cold should be taken lightly.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

     The symptoms of a cold are nasal congestion, sneezing, clear nasal
discharge, scratchy sore throat, and fever up to 103 degrees_F.  In general,
the younger the child, the higher the fever.  Symptoms may also include
reddened, watery eyes; dry cough; mild swelling and tenderness of the lymph
nodes in the neck; and mild pain in the ears.
     It is often difficult to tell a cold from other illnesses that have
similar symptoms.  Usually it is assumed to be a cold if the familiar cold
symptoms occur but symptoms of other illnesses do not.  Another clue is that a
cold lasts only three to ten days.

HOME CARE

     Your child should drink a lot of liquids, but should eat only if he wants
to eat.  Give acetaminophen for fever or pain.  Bed rest is not necessary, but
the child should avoid strenuous physical activities while fever is present.
     Nose drops or oral decongestants and a nasal aspirator may be used to
relieve nasal stuffiness and discharge.  (Unless instructed to do so by your
doctor, do not use nose drops for more than two or three days.  Also, because
of the risk of contamination, never use the same bottle of nose drops for more
than one person or for more than one week at a time.)  Cough medicines may
ease a severe cough.  Remember, however, that overuse of any of these
medications can cause more harm than good.  Chest rubs and vitamin C
treatments have not been proved helpful.
     A humidifier or vaporizer may make breathing easier.  Be sure to keep it
meticulously clean, however.  Otherwise, it can actually be a source of
infection if microorganisms are allowed to grow in it.
     Isolate the child from others, particularly from infants and the elderly.

PRECAUTIONS

  -  The following symptoms do not usually occur with a common cold and may be
     signs of another illness:  fever lasting more than two to three days;
     pus-like discharge from the eyes, nose, or ears; large, red, tender lymph
     nodes in the neck; breathing difficulties; chest pain; severe headache;
     stiff neck; vomiting; chills accompanied by shaking; prostration
     (collapse).  If any of these symptoms occurs, call your doctor.
  -  Some viruses that cause common colds stay in the body for one to two
     weeks, so the child remains contagious for the entire time of the cold.
  -  Infants should not be exposed to anyone with a cold, even a mild cold.
     Infants are not protected against the common cold by the mother's
     antibodies, young infants can become seriously ill from these viruses.

MEDICAL TREATMENT

     Your doctor will perform a physical examination to check for signs of
other illnesses and for signs of complications.  The doctor sometimes will
order blood tests and a throat culture.

RELATED TOPICS:  Bronchiolitis; Bronchitis; Chest pain; Coughs; Croup;
Earaches; Encephalitis; Fever; Glands, swollen; Headaches; Laryngitis;
Pneumonia; Shortness of breath; Sinusitis; Viral infections; Vomiting