Common head cold: symptoms and care

Cold viruses irritate the lining of the nose and throat, increasing mucus and triggering sneezing or coughing. Symptoms often change over several days: a runny or blocked nose may be followed by thicker mucus, while a cough can linger after congestion improves. Antibiotics do not treat viruses. Ear pressure or an earache can occur when congestion affects the passage behind the eardrum. A cold can sometimes be followed by Sinusitis, Middle Ear Infection, or Acute Bronchitis, while a barking cough and noisy breathing in a child may suggest Croup.

Rest, drink enough fluid to avoid becoming dry, and use warm drinks or saline nasal rinses if they soothe your throat or nose. Keep the air comfortably humid and avoid smoke. A pharmacist or clinician can advise whether a suitable pain or fever medicine is safe for you, particularly if you have another condition or take regular medicines. Do not give children adult products, and check combination cold remedies to avoid doubling ingredients.

Seek urgent help for difficulty breathing, blue lips, severe drowsiness, dehydration, or a child with noisy breathing at rest. Arrange medical review if symptoms become markedly worse, a high fever persists, chest pain develops, or an earache is severe or prolonged. A clinician can distinguish a Common Cold from a more serious infection by examining you and reviewing the pattern of symptoms.

Could this be a Common Cold or another infection? Which symptom medicines are suitable with my health conditions, and what change would mean I need an examination?