When colds attack

Whenever winter comes around, so does the annual onslaught of cold viruses. However, given the fact that the average adult suffers two to three colds a year, you'd think most people would know everything there is to know about what, according to the Common Cold Centre, is the most common illness in the world, wouldn't you?

But here are a couple of things you may not know. For instance, in terms of who gets the most colds, women tend to suffer more than men. If you're wondering why, experts believe it's because women spend more time with children – and children get more colds than adults (up to 10 each year).

Another thing many people may not realise about the common cold is that it's not the virus as such that makes you feel unwell. It's actually your immune system that triggers a runny nose and all those other horrible cold symptoms. Why? Because whenever a cold virus starts to invade your body, your immune system leaps into action and floods areas such as the back of the throat and nose with white blood cells and other chemicals.

Changing viruses

The problem with colds is that there more than 200 different types of cold viruses – called rhinoviruses and coronaviruses –that are constantly changing and mutating. No two viruses are exactly the same either, which may explain why some colds affect you differently. So while some may be short and mild, others may be more severe, last longer and produce different symptoms.

There are, of course, different ways of relieving the different symptoms of a cold. You may decide to take a combined cold remedy to relieve your symptoms. But sometimes it may be more effective to treat the individual symptoms – for instance, when your cold seems better but you still have a raging sore throat.

So here's our guide to tackling colds one symptom at a time (always ask your pharmacist for advice before combining remedies as the same ingredients may be found in different medicines, which could lead to double dosing).

Sore Throat

According to experts, sore throats – which are most often caused by cold viruses – are common, with most adults suffering from two or three each year. This year, for instance, six million people in the UK could have a sore throat this December, if figures compiled by sore throat spray manufacturer Ultra Chloraseptic are anything to go by.

"Everyday infections from viruses – and these are the main culprits for sore throats - occur most when people are crowded together in warm enclosed places," explains Dr Mike Smith, a GP with a specialist interest in coughs and colds. "This peak of incidences is predicted to occur on the 17^th of December, and could be a direct result of a mass-spread of germs in busy shopping centres across the country.”

Dr Smith has the following advice of what to do and what not to do when a sore throat strikes:

• Stop smoking   Smoke is a major irritant of the airways and will thicken mucus and prevent infected mucus from leaving the body.
• Stay away from others   This has nothing to do with passing on the infection to someone else. Keeping away from other people when you have a sore throat is mainly about looking after yourself. It limits the chance of other secondary infections latching on to your now weakened immune system.
• Avoid too much alcohol   Drinking heavily, in particular binge drinking, plays havoc on the respiratory process. Snoring, often brought about by a deep drink-induced sleep can dry out the throat, but more importantly interrupts the safe passage of oxygen to all the muscles in your body, including those in your throat which help to move particles out of the body efficiently and reduce the chance of an infection settling in.
• Also ask your pharmacist to recommend a sore throat remedy, such as simple painkillers that might help soothe the pain, a soothing gargle or an anaesthetic throat spray.

Catarrh

If your nose and/or ears are blocked up, or you have a chesty cough (also see below), the cause is most likely a build-up of mucus that your immune system produces when you get a cold virus. In most cases, the catarrh clears up by itself when your immune system has fought off the virus. There are, however, ways of combating catarrh:

• Decongestants   Your pharmacist can recommend a decongestant medicine in tablet or nasal spray form that may help relieve mucus build-up. However, these should not be taken for more than five to seven days in a row, as taking them for longer can make your symptoms worse.
• Steam inhalation   An old-fashioned but effective remedy for a blocked-up nose, for instance, is to use steam to loosen mucus. Just take a bowl of hot water and breathe in the steam – putting a towel over your head and the bowl can make the process more effective. Ask your pharmacist to recommend a product to add to the water to help clear up your airways – eucalyptus or menthol oil, for instance. However, because the hot water may cause scalding, this method is not suitable for children.
• Vapour rubs   Gel-like rubs that contain ingredients such as camphor, pine and menthol oils are useful for helping children sleep when they have a cold, as the vapours clear their airways (apply to the back and chest but not the nose).
• Saline sprays/drops  Again useful for children, as they are very gentle as well as effective, salt water sprays and drops help relieve nasal congestion. Ask your pharmacist to recommend a product that would be suitable for you or your child.

Cough

Coughs that affect the upper respiratory tract and are caused by the common cold usually clear up within a couple of weeks. There are two types – dry and chesty:

• A dry cough is the result of the upper airways becoming inflamed and does not produce mucus.
• A chesty cough, however, does produce mucus.

Either way, unless your symptoms are severe or have lasted for more than two weeks, you shouldn't need to see a doctor.

In the meantime, there are cough medicines as well as cough lozenges available at pharmacies that may help soothe your cough, though these should not usually be taken for more than two weeks at a time. Ask your pharmacist to recommend the best type of medicine to soothe your symptoms, as different ingredients are used to treat dry coughs and chesty coughs.

Do not, however, give over-the-counter cough or cold medicines to children under the age of six. Ask your pharmacist for advice on treating children of this age – for instance, a warm drink of honey and lemon may be your best option.

Ears and Sinuses

Meanwhile two of the most common complications of the common cold are sinusitis and ear infection.

Sinusitis occurs in up to two percent of people who have a cold, and is an infection of the sinuses. You may, for instance, have sinusitis if your nose is consistently blocked and runny or you have pain and/or tenderness around your nose, eyes and forehead.

The good news is that around two thirds of cases of sinusitis clear up by themselves within about a couple of weeks. You can, however, use remedies such as painkillers and decongestants to relieve pain and a blocked nose in the meantime – your pharmacist can recommend a product that could help.

If your symptoms do not clear up or keep getting worse, or they keep coming back, you may need to see your GP for a course of antibiotics or steroid drops/spray. Around a third of people who get sinusitis will need prescription medicines to clear up the infection.

Otitis media, on the other hand, is an infection of the middle ear and common in children under the age of five. The symptoms include severe earache, a high temperature and flu-like symptoms. However experts reckon 80 percent of cases of middle ear infections clear up within three days without any treatment.

If your child has an ear infection as a result of having a cold, ask your pharmacist to recommend a remedy that might help relieve their earache, such as a painkiller formulated for children. If, however, your child has repeated bouts of middle ear infection, take them to see their GP

Stop the spread

Cold viruses are spread in two ways. First by direct contact  – if you breathe in tiny droplets of fluid containing the virus when someone sneezes or coughs, for instance. And secondly by indirect contact, which is when someone sneezes on a surface and your hand becomes contaminated with the virus after touching the same surface.

There are, however, ways to help stop the spread of cold viruses so that any contact – direct or indirect – is reduced. Here's how:

• When you sneeze or cough, use a tissue to cover your mouth – this helps prevent droplets containing your virus from getting into the air and infecting other people as well as surfaces.
• Wash your hands or use antibacterial wipes regularly whenever you're around people who have a cold or when you're out and about during cold season (when using public transport, for instance).
• If you wash your hands with soap and water, use paper towels rather than a shared towel, and make sure your used paper towels are properly disposed of.
• If someone at work or at home has a cold, clean any surfaces that might be contaminated with their virus droplets regularly. And don't share things like cups, mugs or cutlery with them – stick to your own and wash thoroughly before use.