What Is a Cold?

What Is a Cold?

It's called common cold. The common part is right on: it's the most frequent infection across all U.S. age groups. Most adults have 2-4 colds per year and children have 3 to 8 per year.

What does happen is that you catch a virus from another person. This often happens by touching a contaminated surface and then touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. You can also catch a cold by encountering secretions sneezed into the air.

A cold begins when a cold virus enters the body. Your immune system sends white blood cells out to attack this germ. Unless you've encountered it before, the initial attack fails and your body sends in reinforcements. Your nose and throat get inflamed and produce lots of mucus. With so much of your energy directed at fighting the virus, you feel tired and miserable.

What Causes It?
There are approximately 200 viruses that can cause a cold. Rhinoviruses and there are more than 100 subtypes -- cause up to half of all colds.

while getting a chill does not cause a cold, there are factors that make a person more susceptible to attack by cold viruses. These include excessive fatigue, emotional distress, immature or compromised immune systems, and close contact with someone with a cold.