Are you suffering from a runny nose lately? Is your throat feeling a little itchy?It means you are suffering from common cold. However, there’s nothing to be worried about. Having a common cold once in a while is normal. Getting affected by a common cold is as common as your everyday life. But an optimal amount of awareness is necessary.
What is the best way to make you aware of a common health issue other than presenting it in the form of a blog! So, before you visit Private Doctor in London, go through this blog once. This blog presents to you a detailed guide on diagnosing a common cold. Therefore, without any further ado, let’s dive into the blog. Let’s see what it has in store for you.
What is the common cold?
A common cold is an infection of the respiratory tract. Generally, it occurs in the upper respiratory system. However, this can vary from person to person. Have you heard your parents and elders asking you not to go near a person suffering from a common cold? Have you wondered why is it so? Well, a common cold gets spread much faster than a bonfire. Once you get a common cold, your nose, throat, sinuses and windpipe can get affected.
After the advent of the Coronavirus in 2021, a common cold now falls into that category. Of all the most common one is the rhinovirus. Should you be afraid of it? Well, fearing a disease will not make you get rid of it. Instead, be brave enough to take the necessary medical steps to fight it.
You must be wondering why it is called the common cold. The reason is pretty simple. Since the virus gets spread very easily, medical experts have named it a common cold. There’s another reason looming large behind its name. A common cold can occur to anyone at the bat of an eyelid. Yes, it’s that common! On average, adults and children suffer from a common cold at least three and four times a year respectively.
Symptoms of a common cold
The common signs and symptoms of a common cold are as follows:
- Runny nose
- Itchy throat
- Change in voice
- Cough
- Irritability
- Loss of appetite
- Fever to 102-degree Fahrenheit
- Little swollenness in the glands
How to diagnose the common cold?
A small disclaimer before we get into the details. When you cannot handle your common cold, do not hesitate to see a doctor.
Could you visit a doctor’s chamber if you have slight symptoms of a common cold? Well, to be honest, you need a doctor’s appointment only if:
- Your common cold continues for more than 10 days
- You have a fever of more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit
- When the over-the-counter medications are not functioning
For a proper diagnosis of a common cold, a general physician will start with a physical screening and ask you some questions regarding your medical history. When sharing your health details with your doctor make sure to mention clearly each and every symptom you are suffering from. Also, do not forget to discuss the specific characteristics of the symptoms.
Another vital question that doctor’s often ask common cold patients is the duration of their illness. This tenure will determine the plan of treatment and the severity of your illness. Besides, the doctor will thoroughly check your throat, lungs, sinuses, and ears.
If you have difficulty swallowing food, the doctor will ask you to undergo a throat culture. This is an examination of your throat to find out the kind of bacterial infection inside your throat. In certain complicated cases, you may have to undergo either a chest x-ray or a blood test for a thorough diagnosis. The purpose of all these tests is to narrow down the search and rule out the other symptoms.
How does a chest x-ray help in diagnosing a common cold? By presenting a detailed image of your chest. From this imaging, the doctor can see if you have patches inside your chest that might block the air nodules. Having patches of phlegm in your chest can lead to bronchitis or pneumonia.
Often, when a common cold purses for a long time, the phlegm thickens and sits tightly in your chest. This is an adverse situation where the air blocks in your lungs can get blocked. In short, it can make you collapse.
Sometimes, a common cold can also develop into an ear infection. This is a common scenario in children. Is your child is experiencing the same? If so, then take him or her to an ENT. Sometimes, the symptoms of the common cold can reach the ears and start aching severely.
Can a common cold get complicated?
Although most people treat a common cold lightly, it leads to some complications. The complications from a common cold when you don’t treat it at the right time. What happens when you live with a common cold for long? It results into:
- A chest infection ear infection
- Asthma
- Sinusitis
- Strep throat
Different diseases result in different symptoms. While a ear infection leads to green or yellow discharge from the nose, a soreness in the throat causes a strep throat. In the case of asthma, you might experience difficulty in breathing. In addition to this, the situation gets worse if you have a habit of smoking. This blocks the airways in the lungs even more and traps the phlegm inside. In case there is no improvement within a week here is the address of a private GP you need to visit – 117A Harley Street, London, W1G6AT.
Conclusion
There is no specific rule for treating a common cold. The only solution is either to visit a doctor or try out some home remedies to get relief from pain and discomfort. So, the best solution for treating a common cold is to visit a private GP. By looking at your symptoms of a common cold, he can guide you in the best possible way.