The common cold is a respiratory infection that causes a cough, sore throat, and stuffy nose that makes it hard to function. At Vine Family Medicine in Keller, Texas, Ochuele Odumosu, MD, and Oluwaseun Odumosu, MD, see all ages and provide care for patients with a common cold. Though there’s no cure for this short-term infection, the team can help you feel better. Call Vine Family Medicine or schedule your in-office or telehealth appointment online today.
The common cold is a viral upper respiratory infection. It causes symptoms that affect the nose, sinuses, and throat.
The cold is one of the most common contagious illnesses in the United States. There are more than 200 viruses that cause a cold. But the rhinovirus is usually responsible for the cold and its symptoms.
In order to catch a cold, the virus must enter your body through a mucus membrane. That usually happens when you touch something with the virus and then touch your eyes, nose, or mouth. Or, you breathe in droplets after someone with the illness coughs.
There’s no cure for this infection, and symptoms typically last 10 days.
Symptoms of the common cold appear one to three days after you catch the virus. Symptoms include:
A common cold in children may cause a fever. It’s hard to differentiate between the cold and flu since they both cause similar symptoms. However, the one difference is that with the flu, you’re more likely to have a fever with chills.
Most people with a common cold can manage their symptoms at home.
But the team at Vine Family Medicine recommends you come in for care if you have an infant with a cold or a young child with a cold and a fever. They also recommend scheduling an appointment if your symptoms last longer than 10 days.
During your visit, your provider reviews your symptoms and medical history. They do a physical exam and may run tests to rule out other infections.
Currently, there’s no cure for the common cold. However, the team at Vine Family Medicine can provide guidance on symptom management, such as:
You can’t cure a cold with antibiotics. However, if you have a bacterial infection from your cold (e.g., a bacterial ear infection or a sinus infection), the team prescribes antibiotics to treat it.
To get help for the common cold, call Vine Family Medicine or schedule an in-office or telemedicine consultation online today.