The Common Cold

The common cold is a mild, acute upper respiratory illness caused by viruses and rhinorrhea, nasal obstruction, sneezing, sore throat, cough, and others appear as its symptoms. The common cold is usually a self-limited disease. Rhinovirus, coronavirus, influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus and so on are known as the cause of colds, of which rhinovirus is the most common cause. In most instances, the diagnosis of the common cold is made easily by clinical manifestations, but it is necessary for a clinician to distinguish colds from allergic rhinitis, streptococcal pharyngitis, influenza, secondary bacterial infection. Because there are no effective antivirals to cure the common cold, treatment is aimed at symptom relief. Combination antihistamine/decongestant therapy can modestly improve cough and rhinitis symptoms in adults. But, caution is needed about its side effects. Dextromethorphan may be beneficial in adults with cough, but its effectiveness has not been proven in children, and codeine has not been shown to effectively treat cough caused by the common cold. Antibiotics and steroid should not be used in a simple cold. Vitamin C, echinacea, zinc are not recommended as therapeutic agents. As prevention method, vitamin C supplementation is considered to be moderately effective in some circumstance, but above all, personal hygiene such as frequent hand washing should be emphasized.