No one likes getting the flu, but lamentably it is almost impossible to live a life without the prospect of getting the flu. Peer into this article to know more on the stages of cold.

Stages of Cold

Achooo! Achooo! Achooo! It’s the flu, that one health woe that no one is particularly too fond of! It in fact can easily vie for the title of ‘one of the less serious deviations from the normal that mankind as a whole would love do away with’. The flu, the common cold, acute coryza, viral upper respiratory tract infection or acute viral rhinopharyngitis is a contagious ailment that spins its treacherous web in the upper respiratory system of an individual. The common cold is caused significantly by rhinoviruses and coronaviruses. There however are a lot more viruses than just these two that can lead to the occurrence of a cold. While a lot of people possess expert-level knowledge on how to cope with and battle a cold, not many are familiar with the health altering stages of the same. Make a move and scroll down to unearth for yourself the stages that go in the making of a cold.
 
Different Stages Of The Common Cold
 
The Contact
The first stage of the common cold begins when a person comes in contact with one or more of the over two hundred viruses that can cause a cold. Where are these viruses? Well, they are literally all over the place and that’s exactly why it is co common for an individual to catch a cold. These viruses spread from individual to individual in myriad ways, the most common of them being an inhalation of infected and airborne nasal droplets and hand to hand contact. This is exactly why it is so important for people who have the flu to sneeze with their mouths covered with a handkerchief and also maintain certain norms of hygiene.

The Setting In
The second stage of the common cold begins when the virus enters the nose of an individual and gets past a battery of miniscule tiny hair that line the nose. Once in the nasal cavity, the multiplication begins and the affected individual experiences what can only be described as the symptoms of a common cold. These symptoms can include any of the following: a headache, a running nose, loss of appetite and taste, sneezing, difficulty in breathing and an increase in mucus in the sinus area. The symptoms of a common cold can also include fatigue, aching muscles and shivering. It is these symptoms that make the common cold such an infuriating and frustrating ailment. Medically however, the cold by itself is considered to be a symptom of an imminent fever or any other such deviation from the normal. A cold can last from anywhere between four days to two weeks, with the period of its affliction depending directly on an individual’s immune system. This is exactly why a cold and a fever can last so much longer in a baby or a child that in an adult. The reason for this obviously resides in the fact that an adult’s immune system is more functional than that of a child’s.  

The Passing On
Thankfully a cold cannot last forever owing to the fact that every individual is blessed with an immune system which puts up a fight to defeat the virus causing the cold. The third and final stage of the common cold will see the ‘passing on’ of the cold. This is that stage when the individual down with the flu notices that the symptoms of the common cold are reducing both in number and intensity. In order for an individual to get to the third stage of a cold, it is advisable to opt for medicines and follow a diet that can help ‘drive out’ the pest of a cold. A person who gets through the third stage of a cold within the duration of a day or two will be back to his or her normal and cheerful self.


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