Colds are common: Most adults get a cold at least once a year while children can get them multiple times in a year. The common cold is an upper respiratory viral infection caused by different viruses. Symptoms include a nasal congestion, cough, sore throat, runny nose, and fever - the common cold can leave you feeling miserable.
When do people catch colds and how long do they last?
Most people tend to get a cold during the winter months, but it can happen at any time during the year. A cold usually lasts up to 7 to 10 days. Although colds and flus may seem similar, they’re not the same. A flu usually causes more severe symptoms8.
While there are no cures available for the common cold, medicine products containing paracetamol and bed rest can help speed up your recovery.
Is it a cold? The top three symptoms
After your exposure to a cold virus, symptoms usually come on within three to four days. A scratchy throat is often among the first signs that you’re coming down with something. Later, you could develop a cough and a runny nose. If you’re feeling run down or achy, it’s likely that you’re getting a cold.
Signs tend to vary from person to person, but cold symptoms tend to include:
What are the signs of the common cold?
Colds can make you feel tired and like you’re running out of steam. But with more than 200 different viruses that can cause cold, its symptoms tend to vary from one person to the next. Usually, a cold affects your whole body1. The symptoms of a common cold include:
Coughs can be wet or dry. The difference is that a wet cough brings up some of the mucus from your respiratory system. Wet coughs feel like something is stuck in your throat and you will usually be able to feel that there’s mucus. As the name suggests, the dry cough is not accompanied by mucus build-up. It feels like a tickle or as if something is scratching against the back of your throat.
Coughs can linger and are sometimes the last symptoms of the common cold to go away3.
What’s the difference between a cold and the flu?
We’ve all had a cold before, but sometimes it can be difficult to figure out whether your illness is a cold or the flu. So how do you know? Flu symptoms tend to be more severe and come on much quicker than those of a cold. One of the key difference between cold and flu is a fever, but there are a few other signs to look out for8:
Symptom |
Common cold |
Flu |
Fever |
Not common in adults or mild; more common in |
Very common |
Headaches |
Sometimes |
Common |
Body aches |
Sometimes |
Common |
Fatigue |
Common |
Very common |
Stuffy and runny nose |
Very common |
Sometimes |
Sore throat |
Very common |
Sometimes |
Cough |
Common |
Common |
What exactly is a cold?
The common cold is a seasonal infection of the respiratory tract. It is caused by viruses called rhinovirus and spread from person to person via skin contact or in the air—for example, when an infected person sneezes.
Symptoms tend to come on within three to four days after exposure and last up to 7 to 10 days.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that the average adult has between two to three colds a year. Children tend to get ill even more often5.
Colds can be debilitating. They’re one of the main reasons why adults miss work and children have to stay home from school5.
It’s only normal that you may be looking for cold remedies that provide quick relief. But there is no cure for the common cold or flu.
In general, a cold requires bed rest and time for the cold to run its course and the body to heal. Available cold medicine and other treatment options focus on relieving symptoms.
What cold medicines can I take?
They also help lower a fever. Standard formulations of painkillers do not help with a stuffy nose or congestion. Panadol Cold & Flu includes phenylephrine hydrochloride to relieve stuffiness and dextromethorphan to suppress that nasty, dry cough.
Children
Consult your doctor before giving cold medicines to children younger than four years. If your little one has a fever, it’s best to use suppositories like those from Panadol because they’re easier to give than oral tablets or drops.
You should not use antibiotics to treat a cold unless its a bacterial infection. Speak to your doctor if you’re in doubt.
What home remedies help?
When should I call a doctor?
Speak to a doctor or medical advisor if you have any of the following as these could be signs of other infections10:
References
1. Worrall G. Common cold. Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien. 2011;57(11):1289-1290. Accessed December 15, 2018. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3215607/
2. Sneezing: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. medlineplus.gov. Accessed November 5, 2020. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003060.htm
3. Atkinson SK, Sadofsky LR, Morice AH. How does rhinovirus cause the common cold cough? BMJ Open Respiratory Research. 2016;3(1):e000118. doi:10.1136/bmjresp-2015-000118
4. Allan GM, Arroll B. Prevention and treatment of the common cold: making sense of the evidence. Canadian Medical Association Journal. 2014;186(3):190-199. doi:10.1503/cmaj.121442
5. CDC. Common Colds: Protect Yourself and Others. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Published February 11, 2019. https://www.cdc.gov/features/rhinoviruses/index.html
6. Cohen S, Tyrrell DAJ, Smith AP. Psychological Stress and Susceptibility to the Common Cold. New England Journal of Medicine. 1991;325(9):606-612. doi:10.1056/nejm199108293250903
7. InformedHealth.org [Internet]. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG); 2006-. Common colds: Relief for a stuffy nose, cough and sore throat. [Updated 2020 Oct 8]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279542/
8. Influenza (Flu). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/coldflu.htm
9. COVID-19, cold, allergies and the flu: What are the differences? Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/covid-19-cold-flu-and-allergies-differences/art-20503981
10. Maggini S, Beveridge S, Suter M. A Combination of High-Dose Vitamin C plus Zinc for the Common Cold. Journal of International Medical Research. 2012;40(1):28-42. doi:10.1177/147323001204000104, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22429343 Accessed December 9, 2020.
11. Common cold - Symptoms and causes. Mayo Clinic. Published 2017. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/symptoms-causes/syc-20351605 Accessed December 9, 2020.
12. Do I Have Sinusitis? WebMD. Accessed December 9, 2020. https://www.webmd.com/allergies/sinusitus-test