ACUTE CORYZA (COMMON COLD)

• This is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus (picorna virus group) and spreads rapidly from infected person to healthy person by close personal contact or droplets.
• One attack does not produce immunity, hence on average, individuals suffer two or more attacks per year but attacks lessen with age.
• Examples of Picorna viruses; enteroviruses, hepatitis A viruses, coxsackieviruses, rhinoviruses, parainfluenza viruses, seasonal coronaviruses etc.
• Clinical features;
  • Incubation period is 12hours to few
  • Initial symptoms are; mild fever, malaise, rhinitis producing running nose with watery discharge and Associated severe body aches and tiredness. Running eyes is common due to conjunctivitis.
  • Infection may travel to sinuses and result into sinusitis, to the pharynx and produce pharyngitis and to the trachea producing tracheitis (dry cough, brassy cough).