Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 1996 Dec;23(4):657-75.
doi: 10.1016/s0095-4543(05)70355-9.

The common cold

G L Kirkpatrick  1
Affiliations
Review

The common cold

G L Kirkpatrick. Prim Care. 1996 Dec.

Abstract

The common cold is characterized by symptoms of rhinorrhea, nasal obstruction, sneezing, throat clearing, postnasal drip, and cough. Some of the many viruses that cause colds may cause mild additional symptoms such as sore throat, weakness, dizziness, and tearing. This article presents data concerning the cause, pathogenesis, and treatment of the common cold as well as discussion of the available diagnostic tests and their use in formulating differential diagnoses.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Seasonal prevalence of common cold viruses. I = influenza; RSV = respiratory syncytial virus; P3 = parainfluenza type 3; P1 = parainfluenza type 1; R = rhinovirus; A = adenovirus; E = enterovirus.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Al-Nakib W., Higgins P.G., Barrow G.I. Suppression of colds in human volunteers challenged with rhinovirus by a new synthetic drug (R61837) Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1989;33:522–525. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bardin P.G., Johnston S.L., Pattemore P.K. Viruses as precipitants of asthma symptoms II. Physiology and mechanisms. Clin Exp Allergy. 1992;22:809–822. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Beem M. Rhinovirus infections in nursery school children. J Pediatr. 1969;74:818–820. - PubMed
    1. Bishop S.S. Diseases of the Nose, Throat and Ear and Their Accessory Cavities. FA Davis; Philadelphia: 1904. pp. 22–24.
    1. Blueston E.C.D., Connell J.T., Doyle W.J. Symposium: Questioning the efficacy and safety of antihistamines in the treatment of upper respiratory infection. Journal of Pediatric Infectious Disease. 1988;7:215–242. - PubMed