This brochure was written for this site. It may be used freely as long as this internet address is included in any copies of the document. The common cold causes irritation and drainage in any or all of the airways including the nose, sinuses, throat, voice box, and often the bronchial tubes.
Many different viruses can cause the common cold.
Each virus may have a slightly different pattern of symptoms and severity. Well over 100 types of cold viruses are known. There is no evidence that cooling the body induces a cold. Infection may be facilitated by excessive fatigue, emotional stress and other factors that weaken the body's immune defenses. Bacteria that live in the nose and throat can gain a foothold and cause secondary infection such as ear infections, bacterial sinusitis and bacterial bronchitis.