Colds

Disease	Injury	Nutrition	Poison

Special Topic	Surgery	Symptoms	Test

Throat anatomy

Colds

Alternative Names:

Viral upper respiratory infection; Common cold

Treatment:

Cold symptoms should go away in a week to 10 days. Treatment by a health care provider is not necessary unless symptoms continue, or existing respiratory conditions are worsened by the symptoms.

Home care measures may relieve some of the symptoms of the cold but will not affect the duration of the illness. These measures include taking over-the-counter pain relievers, drinking plenty of fluids, and rest.

Antibiotics are not appropriate treatment for colds.

Expectations (prognosis):

Symptoms usually go away in 7 to 10 days.

Complications:

aggravation of a pre-existing respiratory condition
secondary bacterial infection
bronchitis
pneumonia
ear infection
sinusitis

Calling your health care provider:

Use home care measures first. Call for an appointment with your health care provider if symptoms worsen or do not improve after 7 to 10 days, if breathing difficulty develops, or if thick green or brown sputum develops.

Review Date: 8/7/2002
Reviewed By: Camille Kotton, M.D., Infectious Diseases Division, Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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