Common cold: symptoms and treatment

Autumn and temperature changes go hand in hand with colds. Sneezing, nasal congestion and a general sense of malaise appear — symptoms that make us feel unwell and can disrupt our daily rhythm and routine. At Farmaciasdirect, we explain how to prevent the common cold and what you can do to treat it.

What are the symptoms of the common cold?

The common cold is a mild infection of the upper respiratory tract, which can present with the following symptoms:

• Nasal congestion
• Runny nose or rhinorrhoea
• General malaise
• Headache
• Sneezing
• Sore throat
• Watery or itchy eyes
• Low-grade fever

Unlike flu, the common cold is not usually accompanied by intense muscle pain or high fever.

Is the cold virus contagious?

Yes, a cold can be spread mainly in 2 ways:

• Direct contact: by touching an infected person or touching objects they have used or been in contact with.
• Airborne: by inhaling respiratory droplets from an infected person when they cough, sneeze or talk.

Causes of the common cold

Colds are usually caused by viruses, especially rhinoviruses, which, although they rarely cause complications, bring significant discomfort and malaise for approximately 5–10 days.

How to prevent the common cold?

The agents that cause colds can live on surfaces for several hours, so if we touch these surfaces and then bring our hands to our face, mouth or eyes, we can become infected. For this reason, hygiene and health measures are essential in preventing the common cold:

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water.
• Avoid touching your face.
• Use disposable tissues.
• Ventilate enclosed spaces.
• Cover your mouth when coughing and your nose when sneezing.
• Keep your distance.
• Wear a face mask.

Cold remedies

To treat a cold, we focus on relieving the symptoms to improve the patient's wellbeing. At Farmaciasdirect, we recommend using:

• Nasal decongestants: if you suffer from nasal congestion.
• Analgesics and antipyretics: if you have malaise, headache, sore throat and/or fever.
• Cough suppressants: if you have a cough.
• Anti-inflammatory agents, analgesics and even anaesthetics: to relieve sore throats and improve the mucous membranes. In these cases, we recommend Strepsils, lozenges that reduce inflammation and pain whilst soothing the throat.
• Cold and flu remedies: if you have all the symptoms, you can turn to cold and flu medications that contain formulas with active ingredients targeting all these symptoms. We recommend Frenadol, a medication used for the symptomatic relief of flu and colds. It contains paracetamol (to treat fever, malaise and pain), dextromethorphan (for coughs) and other active ingredients.

Even if you take one of these options, remember to complement it with a good diet and adequate rest.

Remember that if the fever is very high, you experience difficulty breathing or chest pain, ear pain or discharge occurs, and/or mucus reaches the chest, you should see a doctor.