Introduction:

The common cold is a condition in which respiratory infection occurs. It affects your nose, throat, sinuses, and windpipe. After the spread of the Coronavirus, many people think this causes the common cold. But the truth is, it can be caused by more than 200 different types of viruses, primarily rhinovirus.  As its name suggests, we call this disease “common”. It spreads worldwide and is the main illness influencing each individual’s life more than different sicknesses. Common symptoms of colds include cough, sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, and mild fever. Get to know the common cold stages: how symptoms start, progress, and resolve, helping you manage each phase effectively.

Colds are generally not severe diseases; they are mild and self-limiting. However, in some cases, colds can cause severe conditions like ear infections or sinusitis. 

Symptoms and Causes 

This viral infection has many symptoms, but these signs appear in stages. The stages go from mild to active to recovery, and their duration and effectiveness vary from person to person. 

Common Cold Stages

The common cold has stages. It starts with early symptoms and gradually progresses to the active stage, in which symptoms intensify. In the last stage, these symptoms start recovering.

Stage 1: Early (Days 1 to 3)

After being infected with a cold virus, you may feel uneasiness, scratchiness, or a tickle in your throat within one to three days. Most people complain of these signs to practitioners after getting infected with a cold. Along with sore throat or tickle, people also experience some other early symptoms, such as:

• Cough: Severe cough that irritates your throat. 
• Sneezing: Sneezing often to help clear the virus from your body. 
• Runny nose: Continuously flow of mucus from your nose. 
• Stuffy nose: Difficulty breathing through the nose or feeling blocked by your nasal passage. 
• Hoarseness: Causes change in your normal voice; it may become scratchy or faint. 

Stage 2: Active (Days 4 to 7)

During the second stage, early symptoms start getting severe or peak. Along with the above symptoms, you also experience some more signs like:

• Headache: Severe pain or pressure in your head that remains continuously and may be mild or intense. 
• Fatigue: Feeling of tiredness or low energy the whole day.
• Runny eyes and nose: The production increases in both eyes and nose, making them watery and continuously runny.
• Body aches: Feeling of soreness or muscle pain throughout the body.
• Fever: Mild temperature standard in children but also sometimes occurs in adults. 

Stage 3: Late (Days 8 to 10)

During this stage, cold symptoms start getting mild, and you may feel almost recovered. However, some symptoms can prolong their effects. For instance, some people experience a nagging cough that persists for up to two months after the initial cold or respiratory infection.

If your signs worsen or prolong, seeing a healthcare professional is essential. Severity and continuous fever can cause other infections or complications, such as sinusitis, bronchitis, or pneumonia. 

Causes of Common Cold

studies also reveal that Coronavirus also causes common colds. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, these viruses spread through the air. You can also get them by touching surfaces with the virus and then touching your nose or mouth. Cold side effects include a runny or stodgy nose, wheezing, sore throat, and sometimes a gentle fever. The viruses can quickly spread when people spend more time indoors in crowded areas or during the winter.

Is this Infection Contagious?

Colds spread rapidly when the infection arrives at your mucous layers, similar to those in your nose, eyes, or mouth. This can occur if you contact a surface with the infection or take droplets from a wheeze or hack. When sick people cough or sneeze, they release virus-laden droplets. If you inhale these droplets, the infection can enter your nose. You are most infectious in the initial three days of feeling wiped out and can spread the infection for as long as two weeks, including a bit before side effects show up.

How is the Common Cold Diagnosed?

When you visit a doctor or nurse, they will ask you about your symptoms and do a physical exam to look for things like swollen neck lymph nodes, stuffy nose, red throat, and clear lungs. Most of the time, this test helps you figure out if you have a cold. If the supplier figures you could have Coronavirus, this season’s virus, or another condition, they might perform tests like a nasal swab or chest X-beams to affirm the finding and preclude different issues.

Treatments and Medications

There is no specific treatment for this disease. It fulfills its course, and its effectiveness and duration vary from person to person. Most colds disappear within seven to ten days and don’t transform into anything else serious. Regular cold treatment incorporates over-the-counter (OTC) prescriptions to assist with diminishing your side effects and keeping you accessible until you get better.

There are many OTC medications used to cure signs of the common cold. Therefore, always take any medicine after a proper prescription from the healthcare provider. It’s also hazardous for health to take multiple drugs at one time because it can cause other health problems, like organ damage. Following are some medicines that relieve colds:

• NSAIDs and Acetaminophen
• Pseudoephedrine
• Dextromethorphan
• Diphenhydramine and Codeine
• Guaifenesin

Remember: Antibiotics can’t cure a cold because they fight infections caused by bacteria. Viruses cause colds, so they don’t cure them. 

How Can We Prevent Common Cold?

Here are some preventions to keep you and your loved ones safe from this viral infection:

• Wash your hands
• Use hand sanitizers
• Avoid touching face
• Stay at home
• Make your immune system strong
• Clean surfaces where you frequently touch

The Bottom Line

In short, the common cold goes through several stages: it starts with mild symptoms like a sore throat and runny nose, worsens with more intense symptoms such as headaches and body aches, and gradually gets better as you recover. Most colds clear up in about a week or two, but you can use over-the-counter medicines to ease your symptoms. If things worsen or don’t improve, seeing a doctor is a good idea. To avoid getting or spreading a cold, wash your hands regularly, try not to touch your face, and stay away from people who are sick. Knowing these stages helps you handle a cold better and recover more smoothly.

If you find this article interesting and helpful and want to read more articles like this, then vist our site FuseBay.