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Cold Symptoms Blog

Related terms: Common Cold, Cold, Coryza

Blog (23)

Babies' Vulnerability to Colds Tied to Immune Response at Birth

Posted 3 days ago by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, May 24 – The immune response babies are born with affects their risk for colds in the first year of life, a new study finds. "Viral respiratory infections are common during childhood," first author Dr. Kaharu Sumino, an assistant professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, said in a university news release. "Usually they are mild, but there's a wide range of responses – from regular cold symptoms to severe lung infections and even, in rare instances, death," she said. "We wanted to look at whether the innate immune response – the response to viruses that you're born with – has any effect on the risk of getting respiratory infections during the baby's first year." Sumino and colleagues analyzed umbilical cord blood samples taken in the delivery room from 82 babies and then tracked the babies for one year. All of the babies lived in a ... Read more

Related support groups: Cold Symptoms

Does Your Child Have Seasonal Allergies or a Cold?

Posted 13 days ago by Drugs.com

SATURDAY, May 12 – It can be difficult during the spring months for parents to determine whether their children have a cold or seasonal allergies, but an expert outlines how to tell the difference. "Runny, stuffy or itchy noses; sneezing; coughing; fatigue; and headaches can all be symptoms of both allergies and colds, but when parents pay close attention to minor details they will be able to tell the difference," Dr. Michelle Lierl, a pediatric allergist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, said in a hospital news release. "Children who have spring or fall allergies have much more itching of their noses; they often have fits of sneezing and usually rub their noses in an upward motion," she explained. "They also complain about an itchy, scratchy throat or itchy eyes, whereas with a cold, they don't." When people have allergies, their nasal discharge is usually clear and ... Read more

Related support groups: Allergies, Allergic Rhinitis, Cold Symptoms, Hay Fever

Zinc Pills May Shorten Colds, Analysis Suggests

Posted 7 May 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, May 7 – Those suffering from the common cold will try almost anything to relieve their symptoms, but a cure has yet to be found. A new Canadian analysis has revealed that zinc tablets may help patients suffer a little less, but side effects are common. "Although it is possible that oral zinc preparations impact symptoms of the common cold, there is currently insufficient evidence to recommend its use in children and only a weak rationale for use in otherwise healthy adults," said lead researcher Dr. Michelle Science, of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. "The decision to use zinc should take into consideration the questionable benefits balanced against the potential adverse effects." The report was published in the May 7 edition of the Canadian medical journal CMAJ. For the study, Science's team looked at the findings of 17 randomized trials that included more than ... Read more

Research Shows How Colds Lead to Coughing, Wheezing

Posted 27 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, March 27 – The common cold appears to increase the number of "cough receptors" in the airways and makes them more sensitive, which triggers coughing, wheezing and breathlessness, a new study reports. People with asthma are especially vulnerable to this virus-induced coughing, said the researchers from Queen's University Belfast. The cough receptors also are known as transient receptor potential (TRP) receptors. "TRP receptors respond to chemical and physical stimuli in the environment, such as pollutants in the air, a change in air temperature and some of the toxic chemicals found in cigarette smoke," said Dr. Hani'ah Abdullah, one of the researchers. "Once activated, these receptors cause the individual to cough and wheeze." The study's findings were slated for presentation Tuesday at the Society for General Microbiology's spring meeting in Dublin, Ireland. "The increase in ... Read more

Related support groups: Cough, Cold Symptoms

Limit Cold Medications During Pregnancy, Experts Advise

Posted 21 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 21 – It's prudent to limit the use of over-the-counter cold and flu medications during pregnancy, experts say. This is because some medications may contain substances that are potentially harmful to developing fetuses, or that have not been well-studied for use in pregnant women. "Every year around this time, we get a significant number of calls from pregnant and breast-feeding women in California who are battling colds and are worried about which meds they can and can't take," said Christina Chambers, professor of pediatrics at University of California, San Diego and program director at the California Teratogen Information Service. To help expectant mothers who are sick this holiday season, Chambers offered these cold medicine safety tips: Take as little as possible. Over-the-counter cold remedies could contain up to six ingredients for a wide array of symptoms, such ... Read more

Health Tip: Skip the Cold Medicine Before Age 4

Posted 19 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com

-- Parents want to do whatever they can to ease a child's cold symptoms, but cough and cold medicines aren't recommended for children under age 4. The American Academy of Family Physicians suggests these alternatives to ease a young child's cough and cold symptoms: Encourage your child to get lots of rest. Offer the child plenty of fluids. Use saline nose drops to ease stuffiness. Run a cool-mist humidifier in your child's room at night. Steam up the bathroom with a hot shower, letting your child sit outside the stall while the shower runs. Read more

Related support groups: Cold Symptoms

Health Tip: When a Cold Won't Go Away

Posted 1 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com

-- Coughs and sniffles are common among little ones. But if symptoms persist, especially at the same time each year, the child may actually have an allergy. The American Academy of Pediatrics says warning signs of child allergies include: Persistent cold-like symptoms that last longer than one to two weeks, or tend to strike at the same time each year. Frequent red, itchy, and often scaly rashes in the creases of the elbows or knees can also signal an allergy. Gagging, wheezing, vomiting, abdominal pain, coughing, hives or swelling that tend to occur after eating a particular food can signal a food allergy. Chronic coughing, wheezing or tightness in the chest could actually signal asthma. Read more

Related support groups: Cold Symptoms

Cold, Flu Season Poses Risks for Kids With Asthma

Posted 9 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com

SATURDAY, Oct. 8 – Symptoms of asthma can be worsened by a cold or the flu, creating a potentially dangerous situation for children, according to experts at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. In fact, 30 percent of kids who are admitted to the hospital with the flu have asthma, putting them at risk for also developing pneumonia, Dr. Beth Allen, a physician of pulmonary medicine, said in a hospital news release. "All it takes is one trigger – a common cold, a change in the weather, allergens that kids are exposed to, cigarette smoke – any of those things might trigger already irritated airways to become even more agitated," said Allen, who is also a faculty member at Ohio State University College of Medicine. "Actually, colds are the number one thing that land kids with asthma in the hospital. They'll come down with a cold, start having a cough on day two, and by day ... Read more

Related support groups: Asthma, Cold Symptoms

'Superdrug' Against Range of Viruses Shows Promise in Animal Trials

Posted 11 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Aug. 11 – A potentially groundbreaking drug appears effective against a wide range of viral infections, including the common cold, flu, stomach viruses, polio and dengue fever – at least in mice. The new drug is made from living cell's own defense systems and works by targeting a type of genetic material found only in those cells infected by viruses, MIT researchers explained. "Currently there are very few antiviral treatments, and most that do exist are highly specific for individual viruses or have undesirable side effects," noted lead researcher Todd Rider, a senior staff scientist at Lincoln Laboratory's Chemical, Biological, and Nanoscale Technologies Group, which is part of MIT. The new drug is called DRACO (from the more unwieldy "double-stranded RNA activated caspase oligomerizers"). According to Rider, it "has the potential to safely treat or prevent a broad ... Read more

Related support groups: Influenza, Cold Symptoms, Gastroenteritis

Larger Dose of Zinc Lozenges May Shorten Colds

Posted 2 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Aug. 2 – There's still no cure for the common cold, but there may be a way to shorten its misery: A new study suggests that higher doses of zinc lozenges in certain formulations may cut the length of colds by more than 40 percent. Researcher Dr. Harri Hemila, of the University of Helsinki in Finland, reviewed 13 placebo-controlled trials examining the effect of zinc lozenges on cold infections. Three of them found that zinc acetate in daily doses of more than 75 milligrams (mg) shortened colds' duration by 42 percent, on average. Five trials using zinc salts other than acetate in daily doses greater than 75 mg shortened colds by an average of 20 percent, while another five using less than 75 mg per day produced no effect. "Much of the variation in the published study findings can be explained by the daily dose of zinc administered in the zinc lozenges," said Hemila, who funded ... Read more

Related support groups: Cold Symptoms, Galzin, Zinc Acetate

Novel Virus 'Jumped' From Monkeys to Humans, Researchers Find

Posted 14 Jul 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, July 14 – A novel version of a virus responsible for many well-known illnesses in humans and animals has managed to jump from one species and spark infection in another, according to researchers. This "jumping" virus is from the adenovirus family, responsible for the common cold, croup, pneumonia and many other illnesses in humans. Until now – unlike other types of viruses – these particular germs have not been thought capable of cross-species transmission. The finding stems from a high-tech investigation of a 2009 California laboratory outbreak that ravaged a population of New World titi research monkeys. The never-before-seen virus that caused a high rate of death among the primates is the same virus that sickened a lab researcher who had come into direct contact with the infected animals, the scientists reported. And once the virus migrated to a human host, it continued ... Read more

Related support groups: Pneumonia, Cold Symptoms, Croup

Is It a Cold? Or an Allergy?

Posted 3 Apr 2011 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, April 1 – Colds and allergies can cause similar symptoms, and finding out which condition you have is the first step in getting relief, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). Colds are caused by one of more than 200 viruses that get transmitted from person to person. Allergies, which are not contagious, are caused by allergens, such as pollen, that prompt the immune system to overreact. In spring, high levels of tree and grass pollens cause sneezing and other cold-like symptoms for the estimated 60 million Americans with allergic rhinitis, more commonly known as hay fever. There are a number of ways to distinguish between spring allergies and a cold, says the ACAAI. Colds generally evolve, starting with a stuffy nose, throat irritation and low-grade fever, followed by sneezing and a runny nose with thickening mucus that often turns yellow ... Read more

Related support groups: Allergies, Cold Symptoms

FDA Bans Unapproved Prescription Cough, Cold and Allergy Meds

Posted 2 Mar 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, March 2 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that it plans to remove about 500 unapproved prescription cough, cold, and allergy medicines from pharmacy shelves. These drugs have not been evaluated by the FDA for safety and effectiveness, and they may be riskier to take than approved over-the-counter (OTC) drugs that treat these same conditions, agency officials explained. "This action is necessary to protect consumers from the potential risks posed by unapproved drugs, because we don't know what's in them, whether they work properly or how they are made," Deborah M. Autor, director of the agency's Office of Compliance at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said during a morning news conference. Of particular concern are drugs that have time-release formulations, Autor said. "We know from experience that these type of products are complicated to ... Read more

Parents Still Giving Cough, Cold Meds to Kids Under 2: Poll

Posted 16 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 16 – Many American parents of children aged 2 and younger still give over-the-counter cough and cold medicines to their kids despite U.S. Food and Drug Administration warnings to the contrary, researchers have found. In response to research linking over-the-counter (or OTC) cough and cold medicines to poisoning or death in hundreds of children ages 2 years and younger, the FDA said in 2008 that the products should not be given to children in this age group. In addition, studies have shown that these medicines have little benefit in controlling symptoms. A new national poll of over 300 parents of children ages 6 months to 2 years found that 61 percent of parents gave OTC cough and cold medicines to their children within the last 12 months. In addition, more than half of the parents said their child's doctor said the medicines are safe for children under 2 years, and ... Read more

1 in 5 Kids With Cold Develops Middle Ear Infection: Study

Posted 16 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 16 – About one in five children with a cold or other respiratory viral infection develops a middle ear infection that may range from mild to severe, says a new study. U.S. researchers looked at the number of cases of middle ear infection – acute otitis media – among 294 children, ages 6 months to 3 years. Overall, 22 percent of the children developed a middle ear infection during the first week of respiratory infection. A diagnosis of acute otitis media was based on the presence of symptoms such as fever and earache, plus inflammation of the eardrum and fluid in the middle ear. Along with the 22 percent of children who developed the ear infection, another 7 percent had inflammation of the eardrum without fluid in the middle ear. Among the children with the middle ear infection, eardrum inflammation was rated mild in 8 percent, moderate in 59 percent and severe in 35 ... Read more

Related support groups: Otitis Media, Cold Symptoms, Chronic Otitis Media

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