Common colds

At a glance

  • The typical symptoms of a cold are a cough, a stuffy nose and a sore throat.
  • Colds are caused by a harmless viral infection.
  • The symptoms normally go away on their own within a week.
  • You usually don't need to take any medicine.
  • Washing your hands and keeping your distance from others can protect you from getting a cold.

Introduction

Photo of someone washing their hands

Common colds, or simply “colds,” are usually quite harmless and go away again on their own. The symptoms of a cold such as a cough, sore throat and a runny nose can be really annoying. A severe cold can make you feel weak and ill, too.

Colds usually go away on their own after about a week, but some symptoms may last longer. Although a sore throat or a stuffy nose may be gone after just a few days, it can sometimes take up to three weeks for a cough to disappear completely.

Treatment with medication usually isn’t necessary. Some medications may, at best, help relieve the symptoms a bit. Because colds are typically caused by viruses, it also doesn't make sense to use antibiotics to treat an ordinary cold. Antibiotics only fight .

Symptoms

Colds usually take a few days to fully develop. Typical symptoms include a stuffy or runny nose, sneezing, coughing and a sore throat. Sometimes a cold is also accompanied by a mild fever, weakness, a headache and joint pain.

Occasionally, colds are mistaken for the flu. But flu symptoms are usually much worse. Also, a flu doesn't develop gradually. Instead, it generally starts very suddenly with a high fever, chills, and aching muscles and joints.

Causes

Colds can be caused by various viruses. They lead to inflammations in the lining of the nose and throat, but are otherwise harmless.

This makes them different from true flu viruses or the coronavirus disease COVID-19, for instance. An with these viruses can also cause cold-like symptoms, and they may be mild. But it can also result in a severe of the airways, like pneumonia.

Prevalence

Colds are very common, especially in children. It's quite normal for children to catch 6 to 10 colds per year – at school, daycare or kindergarten. Adults have 2 to 4 colds a year on average, mostly during the colder time of year.

Outlook

Colds often start with a sore throat, usually soon followed by a runny or stuffy nose. Even though you might feel quite ill during a cold, it usually doesn't cause any harm. Your immune system can fight off the without any problems.

The worst is typically over within a week. But it can take a little longer for the symptoms to go away completely. Coughs in particular can be stubborn. Adults need 18 days on average to completely recover from a cough, and it can take up to three weeks in children too.

Effects

Colds are usually harmless and clear up without any serious consequences. But can sometimes spread through the airways after a viral , and they may cause more severe problems in various places, such as in the sinuses.

If the larynx (voice box) is inflamed, your voice becomes hoarse. Young children may develop croup too. Croup is caused by viruses. The typical symptoms are a "barking" cough, raspy sounds when you breathe in and mild breathing difficulties.

In babies, infants and toddlers, colds sometimes spread to the ear and lead to a middle ear infection. Bacterial infections in the throat can cause tonsillitis.

Infections of the upper airways (in the nose, mouth and throat area) only very rarely cause serious complications like . It's a good idea to see a doctor if you have a high fever, severe or worsening symptoms, chest pain, shortness of breath or trouble breathing. This is especially important for people who have a chronic disease of the airways, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Illustration: Airways

Diagnosis

No special tests are needed for doctors to diagnose a cold. Because practically everyone knows the symptoms from childhood, most people don't go to see the doctor. Doctors usually just need to look into your throat and ask you what symptoms you have.

Colds are very common, so it's much less likely that you have another illness with similar symptoms. But if your doctor thinks you may have the flu or another more serious , tests like nose or throat swabs can help to find out. It may also be a good idea to have a test for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (the that causes COVID-19).

Prevention

Because there are so many different cold viruses, having recovered from a cold doesn't stop you from catching another one. Your immune system needs to learn how to fight each new . This also means that it's not possible to vaccinate against colds.

But there are some simple things you can do to avoid catching a cold, like keeping your distance from others and washing your hands. The viruses spread through droplets: When someone with a cold sneezes or coughs, a lot of tiny virus-containing drops are sprayed into the air, and they come to rest on objects like doorknobs, computer keyboards or handles and poles on the subway. If you touch these objects, the viruses may get on to your hands. Touching your face with your hands could then easily spread the viruses to your nose or mouth. So avoiding touching your face with your hands is one way to reduce your risk of catching a cold. It's also important to wash your hands often with regular soap.

If you are already ill and have to sneeze and cough a lot, it's best to keep your distance from other people. That also means that you shouldn't go to work if you have the symptoms of a cold.

Cold viruses are spread through objects that have touched the nose or mouth of a person with a cold. This includes cups or glasses that the person might have used to drink out of, and of course used tissues as well. So it’s important to throw tissues away immediately after use, and avoid leaving them lying around.

Vitamins or echinacea products are sometimes recommended for the prevention of colds. Some people already start taking these kinds of products a few weeks before the cold season starts. But they offer very limited protection.

Treatment

Because there are so many different cold viruses, there is currently no medicine that can fight cold viruses and noticeably shorten the length of colds. But various medications can relieve some of the symptoms a little. These include painkillers like ibuprofen and acetaminophen (paracetamol), as well as decongestant (anti-swelling) nasal sprays for temporary use.

Antibiotics are not effective against cold viruses and should only be used if are also involved and complications have developed. The often have side effects too.

Products that contain zinc, vitamin C, or echinacea extracts are also commonly recommended for the treatment of colds. It's not currently possible to reliably assess the advantages and disadvantages of these products because there has either been too little research or the studies that have been done have produced contradictory results.

Honey or herbal products like extracts taken from Pelargonium (umckaloabo), primrose, thyme, eucalyptus and ivy leaves may possibly relieve a cough somewhat.

Further information

When people are ill or need medical advice, they usually go to see their family doctor first. Read about how to find the right doctor, how to prepare for the appointment and what to remember.

Choi IK, Lee HK, Ji YJ, Hwang IH, Kim SY. A Comparison of the Efficacy and Safety of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs versus Acetaminophen in Symptom Relief for the Common Cold: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trial Studies. Korean J Fam Med 2013; 34(4): 241-249.

David S, Cunningham R. Echinacea for the prevention and treatment of upper respiratory tract infections: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Complement Ther Med 2019; 44: 18-26.

De Sutter AI, van Driel ML, Kumar AA, Lesslar O, Skrt A. Oral antihistamine-decongestant-analgesic combinations for the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2012; (2): CD004976.

Deckx L, De Sutter AI, Guo L, Mir NA, van Driel ML. Nasal decongestants in monotherapy for the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2016; (10): CD009612.

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Allgemeinmedizin und Familienmedizin (DEGAM). Akuter Husten. DEGAM-Leitlinie Nr. 11. AWMF-Registernr.: 053-013. February 2014.

Ebell MH, Lundgren J, Youngpairoj S. How long does a cough last? Comparing patients' expectations with data from a systematic review of the literature. Ann Fam Med 2013; 11(1): 5-13.

Hawke K, van Driel ML, Buffington BJ, McGuire TM, King D. Homeopathic medicinal products for preventing and treating acute respiratory tract infections in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018; (4): CD005974.

Hemilä H, Chalker E. Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2013; (1): CD000980.

Jefferson T, Del Mar CB, Dooley L, Ferroni E, Al-Ansary LA, Bawazeer GA et al. Physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of respiratory viruses. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2011; (7): CD006207.

Karsch-Völk M, Barrett B, Kiefer D, Bauer R, Ardjomand-Woelkart K, Linde K. Echinacea for preventing and treating the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2014; (2): CD000530.

Kenealy T, Arroll B. Antibiotics for the common cold and acute purulent rhinitis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2013; (6): CD000247.

Kim SY, Chang Y-J, Cho HM, Hwang Y-W, Moon YS. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2015; (9): CD006362.

Li S, Yue J, Dong BR, Yang M, Lin X, Wu T. Acetaminophen (paracetamol) for the common cold in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2013; (7): CD008800.

Little P, Moore M, Kelly J, Williamson I, Leydon G, McDermott L et al. Ibuprofen, paracetamol, and steam for patients with respiratory tract infections in primary care: pragmatic randomised factorial trial. BMJ 2013; 347: f6041.

Martineau AR, Jolliffe DA, Greenberg L, Aloia JF, Bergman P, Dubnov-Raz G et al. Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory infections: individual participant data meta-analysis. Health Technol Assess 2019; 23(2): 1-44.

Oduwole O, Udoh EE, Oyo-Ita A, Meremikwu MM. Honey for acute cough in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018; (4): CD007094.

Pschyrembel. Klinisches Wörterbuch. Berlin: De Gruyter; 2017.

Robert Koch-Institut (RKI). Influenza (Teil 1): Erkrankungen durch saisonale Influenzaviren. 2018. (RKI-Ratgeber).

Simancas-Racines D, Franco JV, Guerra CV, Felix ML, Hidalgo R, Martinez-Zapata MJ. Vaccines for the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2017; (5): CD002190.

Singh M, Singh M, Jaiswal N, Chauhan A. Heated, humidified air for the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2017; (8): CD001728.

Timmer A, Günther J, Motschall E, Rücker G, Antes G, Kern WV. Pelargonium sidoides extract for treating acute respiratory tract infections. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2013; (10): CD006323.

Vorilhon P, Arpajou B, Vaillant Roussel H, Merlin E, Pereira B, Cabaillot A. Efficacy of vitamin C for the prevention and treatment of upper respiratory tract infection. A meta-analysis in children. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 2019; 75(3): 303-311.

IQWiG health information is written with the aim of helping people understand the advantages and disadvantages of the main treatment options and health care services.

Because IQWiG is a German institute, some of the information provided here is specific to the German health care system. The suitability of any of the described options in an individual case can be determined by talking to a doctor. informedhealth.org can provide support for talks with doctors and other medical professionals, but cannot replace them. We do not offer individual consultations.

Our information is based on the results of good-quality studies. It is written by a team of health care professionals, scientists and editors, and reviewed by external experts. You can find a detailed description of how our health information is produced and updated in our methods.

Comment on this page

What would you like to share with us?

We welcome any feedback and ideas - either via our form or by gi-kontakt@iqwig.de. We will review, but not publish, your ratings and comments. Your information will of course be treated confidentially. Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required fields.

Please note that we do not provide individual advice on matters of health. You can read about where to find help and support in Germany in our information “How can I find self-help groups and information centers?

Print page

Über diese Seite

Updated on October 8, 2020

Next planned update: 2023

Publisher:

Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG, Germany)

How we keep you informed

Follow us on Twitter or subscribe to our newsletter or newsfeed. You can find all of our films online on YouTube.