What Are the Stages of a Common Cold?

Everyone gets colds. The common cold is a viral infection of the upper respiratory system--one of the most common in humans. Children have at least six to 10 colds a year because they are in close contact with each other during school. Most adults get a cold at least four times a year.

Basic Common Cold

• The cold is a virus and can last about one to two weeks. About 1 billion people in the United States suffer from colds yearly. Colds cause children and adults to miss more school and workdays than any other illness.

Causes of A Common Cold

• Cold Season Starts

  A person catches a cold when someone with a cold sneezes or coughs, because the virus is airborne. There are hundreds of viruses that can cause a cold, but the most common one and the one that is likely to make you sickest is the rhinovirus.

Cold Symptoms

• Symptoms of a cold include runny or stuffy nose, nasal discharge, swelling of sinuses, sneezing, sore throat, coughing and headache.

Cold Treatments

• There is no real cure for a cold, but you can rest in bed, drink lots of fluids, gargle with warm salty water, and take aspirin, ibuprofen or acetaminophen for headache or fever.

Cold Prevention

• Wash your hands often! It is the most common effective method to keep from getting a cold,