It is responsible for 27 million physician visits annually and accounts for more time lost from work and school than all other diseases combined. Accordingly, the pharmacist has a great opportunity to assist with product selection and to provide patient counseling. There have been over 100 different viruses identified as the culprits behind the common cold. The viruses are expelled into the air when someone infected with the virus sneezes or coughs. Viruses can also be spread by direct contact with an inanimate object that was touched by a person with a cold.
Infection then occurs by touching the mouth or nose.
The incubation period for a cold is only one to four days, and viral shedding has usually begun one to two days before the onset of systems. The signs and symptoms of a cold are the direct result of the inflammatory response that occurs in the respiratory tract in response to the virus. The inflammatory response mediates an increase in vascular permeability in the nasal mucosa, which leads to edema and rhinorrhea. The most common symptoms appear as watery eyes and nose and nasal congestion. The nasal congestion and secretions also cause sneezing, sore throat, and cough from the inflammatory mediators and draining secretions to the throat and lungs.