The viral cold

What is a viral cold?

A viral cold is a flu-like infection (mostly of the upper respiratory tract) that is triggered by viruses.
Which viruses are responsible for the common cold sometimes also depends on the season. The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and adenoviruses are most common in the classic winter months. In the summer months, enteroviruses and parainfluenza viruses are more likely to trigger the summer flu.

The typical symptoms are headache and body aches, runny nose, sore throat, cough and possibly fever.

Symptoms of a viral cold

A typical cold or a typical flu-like infection usually takes place in different phases. After infection with the pathogen, depending on the type of virus (rarer type of bacteria), it takes a different amount of time before the first symptoms appear.
On average, however, after two to five days there are initially complaints in the throat area such as a sore throat or even sore throat, which can lead to swallowing difficulties.

After a short time, the first symptoms of the classic cold usually appear, such as fever, chills, headache and body aches, a runny, stuffy nose and possibly swollen lymph nodes in the head, neck and / or armpit area.
If most of the cold is over, a dry, tickly cough can also be noticed as the stage subsides. On average, a classic cold lasts one to two weeks and does not require any causal therapy, at best symptom-relieving medication can be taken.

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Symptoms of a cold
Sore throat and difficulty swallowing

Causes of the common cold

The cause of a viral cold, as the term suggests, is infection by viruses.
The viruses are primarily absorbed by droplets or smear infections in the own organism, where they then spread and preferentially colonize the respiratory system.
Once there, they lead through various mechanisms to damage the surface of the mucous membranes and to activate the body's own immune system, so that the classic symptoms appear when fighting the viruses.

Find out more about the topic here: Causes of the common cold

These are the pathogens

It is by no means always the same virus that can cause a viral cold. Rather, many different types of viruses are now known.
The most common representatives are the respiratory syncytial viruses (RSV), rhinoviruses and the adenoviruses, which occur more frequently in winter and lead to colds, especially in children.

In addition, various enteroviruses (Coxsackievirus, ECHO virus) and human parainfluenza viruses can also trigger a cold, although these tend to occur in the summer months.

Further information on this: Cold viruses

The RS virus

The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV for short) is one of the classic pathogens for a flu-like infection in the winter months and in spring.
It is transmitted in the form of a droplet or smear infection and leads to symptoms in the upper respiratory tract within two to eight days, such as Runny nose, cough (Rhinitis, bronchitis) but also to otitis media, among other things.

It is the most common pathogen causing infections of the respiratory tract, especially in infants and young children; the younger the age of the small patient, the more serious the consequences an infection with the RS virus can have. The virus is spread all over the world, after an infection there is no lifelong immunity, so re-infections are possible for life

Would you like to know more details on this topic? Find out more about this at: Cold in the baby

The coronavirus

Coronaviruses are a family of pathogens that are widespread around the world and affect both humans and animals, primarily causing respiratory infections in humans.
It is mainly transmitted through a droplet infection, and some types of virus can also be transmitted from animals to humans. Classic diseases that coronaviruses can trigger are coughs, runny nose, fever and headaches associated with a cold. In addition, lung and pulmonary inflammation can also develop.

As with the RS virus, there is no immunity after an infection with coronaviruses, so that new infections are possible in the course of life.

More on this: Coronavirus- how dangerous is it?

The adenovirus

Adenoviruses are also among the viruses that are widespread worldwide and cause infections of the respiratory tract, the gastrointestinal tract and the urogenital tract. 80 different adenoviruses are known, of which around 47 cause infections in humans.

Like many other viruses, they are transmitted by droplet infection, but also fecal-orally (absorption of intestinal germs through the mouth).
After about five to eight days, they then primarily trigger diseases of the respiratory tract such as sore throat or pneumonia, infections of the eyes such as conjunctivitis, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (diarrhea) and the urogenital tract (including bladder infections).

Here, too, there is no immunity after infection, so that new infections are possible in the course of life.

Difference Between a Viral and a Bacterial Cold

A viral cold differs only slightly from a bacterial one in terms of symptoms:

When infected by viruses, the body temperature rarely rises above 38 ° C.
A feeling of malaise arises. Fatigue, exhaustion and body aches spread all over the body. Once the cold has reached its full profile, the symptoms slowly but steadily improve from day to day until they finally disappear after about 7-10 days.
An improvement occurs regardless of the medication taken, even without the supply of certain drugs, the symptoms decrease by themselves.

In the case of a bacterial infection, on the other hand, the fever can rise to over 38 ° C and the symptoms often hardly improve noticeably over several days.
The complaints or pain are often more localized in the affected area (throat, tonsils, ears, larynx). Without treatment with medication, there is often no significant improvement.
The duration of bacterial colds is also often longer, and can last up to 14 days.

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Is a viral cold more contagious?

The question of whether a viral cold is more contagious than a bacterial one cannot be answered across the board. The degree of infection risk does not generally depend on whether the causative agents are bacteria or viruses.

Rather, the individual properties of the respective pathogen are decisive for the infectivity. For example, if the pathogen can adhere particularly well to body surfaces or penetrate tissue, an infection can take place more easily and quickly. The ability to multiply quickly also plays a role.
Another measure of infectivity is the minimum infection dose: the fewer pathogens are sufficient for an infection, the more contagious they are. There are both highly and highly infectious viruses and bacteria.

Diagnosing a viral cold

The diagnosis of a viral infection or a viral cold is usually made purely on a clinical basis. H. solely on the basis of the symptoms described and the symptoms examined. Further examinations are usually not necessary and blood tests or imaging examinations are dispensed with.

It is important that the attending physician rules out real flu (Influenza virus), which is also possible in the vast majority of cases on the basis of the questioning and investigation. If it is a real flu, suitable therapy will be initiated promptly.

Read more about the topic here: Difference between the flu and a cold.

Viral cold therapy

If it is a simple viral cold, drug therapy to combat it is ineffective. The administration of antibiotics is pointless as they only eliminate bacteria, not viruses. If, in the course of a viral infection, an infection with a bacterium also occurs, the doctor can decide, depending on the individual case, to give an antibiotic.

There is therefore no means of shortening the duration of illness in the case of a viral cold, so that, as a rule, a duration of between one to two weeks must always be assumed. What can be done, however, is symptom-relieving therapy, for example by giving drugs to lower the fever and combat headache and body aches (e.g. ibuprofen, paracetamol, novaminsulfon).
Occasionally, expectorant preparations such as ACC akut® can be tried as well as nasal sprays to decongest the mucous membrane for a blocked nose (but only for a short time!)

Read more on the topic: Therapy for a cold

Home remedies as a therapy option

Since a cold is often accompanied by a fever, it is important to drink enough fluids.This can be done with simple water or with special cold teas.
Calf wraps can also be used to reduce fever. The well-established chicken soup has also been proven to work against a cold, as it supplies important anti-inflammatory proteins (cysteine), vitamins and zinc.
Inhalations (e.g. in a head steam bath) and cold baths with eucalyptus, peppermint or thyme, as well as salt water nasal rinses, can be tried against blocked noses and sinuses as well as coughs.

Find out more about Home remedies for a cold

Homeopathy as a therapy option

Since there is no need to give antibiotics for viral colds and medication to alleviate symptoms can be administered, it is also possible to take homeopathic remedies for common complaints.
Common preparations for colds include belladonna (black deadly nightshade), gelsemium (wild jasmine), bryonia (bryony), aconite (monkshood), eupatorium (water fever), dulcamara (bitter-sweet nightshade) and ferrum phosphaticum.

Read more about the topic here: Naturopathy for a cold

Duration of a viral cold

Viral colds usually last a good week, and in some cases the infection can last for two weeks.

The duration is mostly unaffected by the preparations or medication taken, since these - as described above - only serve to alleviate symptoms, but not to fight the viruses. The widespread saying "three days will come, three days will stand, three days will go" applies in the vast majority of cases, even if there can always be exceptions.

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