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Phone (512) 733-5437 COPING WITH COUGHING, ACHING, AND SNIFFLING OF A COLDThe common cold, one of the most occurring illnesses in the world (almost 66 million cases each year in the United States alone), is caused by more than 200 known viruses. In the United States each year, adults get an average of two to four colds and children get an average of six to eight colds. Although most cases are mild and usually last about a week, colds are the leading cause of doctor visits and lost days at work and school. An article in the June 23, 1998, issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association found that one remedy that has become popular in treating cold symptoms in recent years — zinc lozenges — may not be effective in treating symptoms of a cold in children. Some of the first- to 12th-graders involved in the study received 10-mg zinc lozenges five or six times a day for three weeks and some received placebo lozenges containing no zinc. The study showed that it took children taking zinc lozenges an average of nine days to get over all their cold symptoms, which was the same amount of time for children who took placebo lozenges. The study also found that children who took zinc lozenges had a higher rate of adverse effects: bad taste reactions; nausea; mouth, tongue, or throat irritation; and diarrhea. The use of zinc to relieve cold symptoms has become a controversial issue, with previous studies in adults equally divided between those that showed zinc lozenges helped reduce the symptoms and duration of a cold by as much as 42 percent and those that showed no effect. The researchers emphasize the need for further research to define what role zinc plays in treating common cold symptoms and why its effects on children may be different than on adults. Cold Prevention:
Treating a Cold:Antibiotics are not effective for viruses and do not improve cold symptoms. The common cold is caused by viruses and should never be treated with antibiotics. Taking antibiotics unnecessarily can lead to antibiotic resistance, a potentially dangerous situation in which infection-causing bacteria become immune to the effects of certain antibiotics. This leaves fewer, and often more expensive, drug options for your doctor to prescribe when serious bacterial infections strike in the future. A cold can only be treated for its symptoms: getting plenty of bed rest and drinking lots of fluids; gargling with warm salt water; using ointment for a raw nose; or taking aspirin or acetaminophen to relieve headache or fever. Symptoms of a Cold:Cold symptoms usually appear two to three days after a cold virus enters your body. Common symptoms include sore or scratchy throat, runny or stuffy nose, cough, sneezing and an all-over achiness. Could It Be More Than Just a Cold?When other symptoms occur or the symptoms last longer than a few weeks, it may be a sign of a more serious condition. For example, flu (influenza) is usually signaled by severe headache, chills, and fever. If your cold-like symptoms last more than two weeks, they may be caused by an infection of the sinus cavities (bacterial sinusitis), which requires a physician's diagnosis and possibly antibiotic treatment. Virus vs. Bacteria:Infections caused by viruses and infections caused by bacteria attack the body in different ways. For the most part, viral infections eventually stop on their own (self-limiting) and don't require prescription medication. Bacterial infections may need to be treated with antibiotics in order to stop the spread of the infection. For More Information:National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Mi Young Hwang, Writer (JAMA. 1998; 279:2066) Published in JAMA: June 23, 1998 The JAMA Patient Page is a public service of The Journal of the American Medical Association and the American Medical Association. The information and recommendations appearing on this page are appropriate in most instances; but they are not a substitute for medical diagnosis. For specific information concerning your personal medical condition, JAMA and AMA suggest that you consult your physician. This page may be reproduced noncommercially by physicians and other health care professionals to share with patients. Any other reproduction is subject to AMA approval. |
