A cold is a common illness that can be caused by many viruses. It can bepassed easily from one person to another.
If you have a cold, your throat may be sore or scratchy. After a couple ofdays, you may have a runny or stuffy nose and a cough that lasts about aweek. The mucus from your runny nose might be yellow or green for a fewdays. Some people have a fever and muscle aches in the first few days.Sometimes, you can have more serious symptoms like an ear infection, sinusinfection, or pneumonia.
Colds do not cause serious health problems for most people. But they cancause problems for people who smoke, people whose bodies can't fightinfection, and people who have lung problems.
What should I do if I have a cold?
Usually, you don't have to do anything. Most colds don't cause seriousproblems.
There is no medicine to cure a cold, but over-the-counter medicine mighthelp you feel better. These medicines may not be good for young children andolder adults. Some may have bad side effects. Ask your doctor what medicineis best for you or your child.
How do I know if I have a cold and not something worse?
If your symptoms are normal for a cold and you've been around people withcolds, you probably have a cold and not something more serious. See yourfamily doctor if you have:
- symptoms that are worse than those of a normal cold or that haven't gottenbetter in 10 days
- a high fever
- an earache that gets worse
- a headache or pain in your face or eyes
- a stiff neck
- shortness of breath
- sleepiness or confusion
- a health problem that makes it more likely that you will have problemswith a cold (for example: asthma and other lung diseases or a disease thataffects how your body fights infection) (AAFP)
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