Symptoms On The Common Cold (Part One)
  - Go To Part 2 of Common Cold Symptoms (Fever to Nausea) This is a comprehensive look at the symptoms on the common cold and influenza more commonly known as the 'flu'. The symptoms on the common cold are familiar discomforts that can be misleading, for they are sometimes also indications of more serious diseases. The ability to recognize the subtle differences between the signals of a cold and those of other diseases can be vital. The most common indications of a cold and of diseases often mistaken for a cold are described below, listed alphabetically by symptoms that can be felt or seen. The disease that causes each symptom —or each group of symptoms—is named in small capital letters. BACK PAIN. For mild back pain that is accompanied by the usual cold symptoms, use aspirin and apply heat to the back.
• Back pain accompanied by leg aches, sore throat, headache, fever and a dry cough may be a sign of INFLUENZA. If the fever rises above 102° F., if the cough becomes severe or productive, or if you are elderly or have a chronic ailment, consult a physician.
BREATHING DIFFICULTY. Breathing difficulty can arise not only from respiratory infections but also from causes as diverse as lung damage, heart disease and cancer.
• Breathing difficulty produced by a stuffy, runny nose is a basic symptom of a COLD. No medical treatment is necessary, but you may get temporary relief by using a vaporizer, drinking liquids and taking a decongestant.
• Shortness of breath accompanied by chest pain, fever and a cough that produces mucus is a symptom of BRONCHITIS, a bacterial or viral infection of the bronchial tubes. If the symptoms are severe or persist longer than 10 days, consult a physician.
• Breathing difficulty in children who have other symptoms beyond those of a cold can indicate any of three serious diseases.
If a child breathes with a croaking sound, is hoarse and has a barking cough with choking spasms, the symptoms may indicate CROUP, a viral or bacterial infection of the larynx and lower respiratory tract. The child’s small airway may be blocked by the rapid swelling of the larynx, presenting a danger of suffocation. Moist air may help open the airway until a choking spasm subsides; take the child to the bathroom immediately, turn on a hot water tap full force and close the bathroom door to trap the steam.
Keep the child calm and consult a physician as soon as possible. If the child’s breathing has not improved after 10 minutes or so, take him to the nearest hospital emergency room for treatment.
If a child has breathing difficulty accompanied by fever, headache, swallowing difficulty, severe sore throat, nausea and vomiting, he may have DIPHTHERIA, a bacterial infection of the throat. Consult a physician immediately.
If a child’s breathing difficulty follows violent coughing (sometimes eight to 10 coughs in a single breath), the cause may be WHOOPING COUGH, a bacterial infection that generally strikes children under the age of two. This is a one of the major symptoms on common cold.
The disease may start with typical cold symptoms such as sneezing, a runny, stuffed-up nose, and general listlessness; later symptoms may include a bluish face and vomiting. Consult a physician for treatment.
• Breathing difficulty accompanied by chest pain, fever, headache and a painful cough that produces yellow, pink or rust-colored mucus may indicate PNEUMONIA, a bacterial or viral infection of the lungs. Consult a physician immediately.
• Breathing difficulty accompanied by nausea and vomiting, sore throat, neck and joint stiffness, fever, headache, and swallowing difficulty may be caused by POLIOMYFLITIS, a viral infection of the nervous system. Consult a physician immediately.
• Periodic breathing difficulty accompanied by a feeling of tightness in the chest, a cough and wheezing may signal an allergic disease, BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. Consult a physician for treatment.
• Shortness of breath without exertion, an enlarged, barrel-like chest and spasmodic attacks of coughing that produce thick mucus are possible signs of PULMONARY EMPHYSEMA, a disease marked by damaged lung tissue. Consult a physician as soon as possible.
CHILLS. See FEVER
COUGH. Coughing protects the lower respiratory tract from invasion by particles and mucus, but all coughs are irritating, and some may be symptoms of a serious infection or disorder.
There are two basic types of coughs. A cough that brings up mucus, a productive cough, protects the lungs from further damage from infection. Do not use medicines to suppress this kind of cough. A nonproductive, or dry, cough usually results from irritation caused by mucus dripping from the nasal passages to the throat.
Nonproductive coughs may be eased by sucking on hard candy or lozenges or by cough suppressants available without prescription. Aspirin or acetarninophen, pain-killing medications found in some lozenges, may also reduce sensitivity to the irritation.
Both types of cough can be soothed by thinning the mucus secreted during a respiratory infection. Drink plenty of liquids and increase the moisture in the air with a vaporizer.
• A nonproductive cough with a stuffed-up, runny nose, sneezing and sore throat is a classic symptom of a common COLD. If a nonproductive cough is associated with back and leg aches, sore throat, fever and headache, you may have INFLUENZA. If the fever rises above 102° F. in an adult or 103° F. in a child, if the cough becomes severe or productive, or if you are elderly or have a chronic lung or heart ailment, consult a physician for treatment.
• A productive cough accompanied by the symptoms listed above may occasionally be a sign of a cold or flu. Different or additional symptoms, however, may indicate a more serious origin.
If a productive cough occurs with chest pain, fever and breathing difficulty, you may have BRONCHITIS, a bacterial or viral infection of the bronchial tubes.
Consult a physician if the symptoms are severe or persist beyond 10 days.
If a cough produces yellow, pink or rust-colored mucus and is accompanied by chest pains, breathing difficulty, fever and headache, you may have PNEUMONIA, a bacterial or viral infection of the lungs. Consult a physician as soon as possible.
If violent coughs (sometimes eight to 10 times in one breath) are followed by gasping for air, the cause may be WHOOPING COUGH, a bacterial infection that generally strikes children under the age of two. The disease may start with cold symptoms such as sneezing, a runny, stuffed-up nose, and listlessness. Other symptoms include a bluish face and vomiting.
Consult a physician for treatment if a hacking cough is accompanied by a pink rash, fever, red eyes and muscle pain, the cause may be one of two related viral diseases, MEASLES or GERMAN MEASLES. Both are more common in children than in adults. Isolate the sufferer and consult a physician. A pregnant woman who has been exposed to German measles should consult a physician immediately.
If a periodic cough is accompanied by wheezing, breathing difficulty and a feeling of tightness in the chest, you may have BRONCHIAL ASTHMA, an allergy. Consult a physician for treatment.
If a periodic productive cough is accompanied by constant breathing difficulty and the development of an enlarged, barrel- like chest, the cause may be PULMONARY EMPHYSEMA, or damaged lung tissue. Consult a physician as soon as possible.
If a chronic cough produces thick mucus and occurs with fatigue, you may have TUBERCULOSIS, a bacterial infection of the lungs. Consult a physician immediately.
DIZZINESS. Dizziness during or shortly after a cold may be caused by ear infections. It may also result from the use .of alcohol, sedatives or certain cold medicines, or from more serious disorders such as brain damage. If dizziness is severe and does not accompany or follow an upper respiratory infection, consult a physician.
• Dizziness accompanied by earache, a feeling of fullness or ringing in the ears, fever and occasionally loss of hearing may be caused by OTITIS MEDIA, a bacterial or viral infection of the middle ear. This complication of a cold is more common in children than in adults. Consult a physician for treatment.
DRY THROAT. See TICKLE IN THE THROAT
EAR ACHE. Earache may be a direct symptom of a cold, or may result from a bacterial infection accompanying or following a cold. Any earache requires a physician’s examination. A warm, moistened towel or a heating pad applied to the ear may offer some comfort until a doctor can be seen; aspirin or acetaminophen may also help relieve pain temporarily. Do not plug your ear with cotton swabs or insert sharp objects in your ear.
• An earache associated with fever, loss of hearing, dizziness and fullness or ringing in the ear may be caused by OTITIS MEDIA, a bacterial or viral complication of a cold, more common in children than in adults. Consult a physician as soon as possible.
EYE WATERING. Watery eyes are a common symptom of respiratory ailments, but may also result from simple irritation, or from more serious conditions such as CONJUNCTIVITIS.
• Watery eyes accompanied by a stuffed-up, runny nose, breathing difficulty, sore throat, coughing and sneezing are generally caused by a cold. The secretions will end with the infection. For temporary relief bathe the eyes with warm water or eye drops; if symptoms are severe or affect vision, consult a physician.
• Watery eyes that become red and itchy or are sealed shut in the morning by a puss like discharge may be caused by CONJUNCTIVITIS, a viral or bacterial infection of the mucous membrane that lines the inner surface of the eyelids. Consult a physician.
FATIGUE. A general feeling of tiredness, usually accompanying a fever, is a fairly common symptom of respiratory infections. Many medications will also make you feel tired. If you frequently feel tired without any clear reason, consult a physician.
• Extreme fatigue that prevents you from carrying on your everyday activities may signal either of two serious ailments.
If you experience extreme fatigue accompanied by swollen glands in the neck and jaws, general achiness, fever, headache, sore throat and occasionally a rash, you may have INFECTIOUS MONONUCLEOSIS, a viral infection of the lymph nodes and spleen.
Consult a physician for a blood test. Bed rest, aspirin or acetaminophen, and a salt-water gargle (one half teaspoon of salt to a cup of warm water) will help relieve discomfort.
If you experience extreme fatigue accompanied by chest pains, fever and a chronic cough producing thick mucus, you may have TUBERCULOSIS, a bacterial infection of the lungs. Consult a physician as soon as possible to investigate these symptoms on common cold. |
