Common Cold

What is the common cold?

Colds, mild but uncomfortable viral infections complete with stuffy or runny noses, coughing, and other common symptoms, are frequent for children under the age of six. In fact, through age five children typically experience six to eight colds per year. Those children in childcare may have double that number, which is not an indication of any weakness in the immune system.

 

Causes

More than 200 different viruses cause the “common” cold, so vaccination against colds has not been possible. Colds are spread most easily through the hands, primarily through touching the nose or eyes after hands have been exposed to a cold virus.

Symptoms

Cold symptoms may include sneezing, runny or stuffy noses, headaches, mild fevers, and coughing. When a cold germ starts, children will have clear mucus produced by the body to help drain the nose and sinuses of germs. As the immune system engages, the mucus turns yellow or white, then to a greenish color before finally clearing. These transitions are natural and do not indicate that your child needs an antibiotic. There may be some discomfort in the ears with a cold as well; this is not necessarily a sign of an ear infection.

 

Should your child have cold symptoms that last more than ten days without improvement, a fever three or four days in a row of 100.4 degrees or more, or headaches around the eyes, these could be signs of a bacterial infection. If your child has these symptoms, call us for an appointment. 

 

Treatment

A saline wash or vaporizer may provide some comfort for your child, and you can consider acetaminophen or, for children six months or older, ibuprofen in appropriate doses and always used according to instructions. Remember that antibiotics will not help your child with a cold and could do harm, creating a more antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the body. Antibiotics are only indicated and beneficial for bacterial infections.