Learn

Have you ever been playing outside with your friends when all of a sudden your nose begins to tingle and your throat begins to itch and then all of a sudden….. aaahhhhchooo! You sneeze a few more times but you feel generally OK so you continue to play with your friends. Then, a few hours later, your throat begins to feel a little scratchy and you eyes become watery and before you know it…you have a cold. You then go home and crawl into bed and prepare yourself for the three to four days of misery that you know so well.

A few days later you find out that two more of your friends came down with the same cold and are also confined to their beds. What happened? Why do so many people catch colds every year and why do other people who are near the sick person catch the same cold? What is going on in our bodies and why do we always get the same symptoms every time?

The common cold is a viral infection that effects the upper respiratory tract. There are more than 200 different types of viruses that cause the common cold. This is why it is so hard for our bodies to develop an immunity against the cold. Once we get a certain virus our bodies can develop an immunity against that virus so the next time we get that virus our body can fight it immediately and we do not become sick. But there are so many cold viruses out there that it is almost impossible for our bodies to develop an immunity against the common cold. Most kids become infected with the common cold virus several times a year. But don’t worry. Gradually you will build up immunity and you will catch fewer colds as you get older.

But what actually happens when you catch a cold? Well, the virus enters your body and attaches itself to the lining of your nasal passage or your throat. This virus then enters the cells in this area of you body and takes over the protein-making functionality in those cells. These infected cells then produce more viruses that attack the surrounding cells. Your immune system (the system in your body that helps you get better when you are hurt or sick) then comes to the rescue. Your body sends white blood cells called neutrophils to the infected area. If your body does not recognize the virus it will send as many neutrophils as possible to the infected area. These neutrophils then clump together in the infected area and release a range of immune system chemicals. This clumping of the neutrophils and the chemicals that are released are what causes the uncomfortable symptoms that you experience such as soreness, swelling, coughing, and increased mucous.

You will generally begin to feel the symptoms of the cold about one to three days after you are infected with the virus. These uncomfortable symptoms usually last about three days. During the first few days that you are sick you are contagious and you can give the virus to other people. Make sure that if you are sick or you are around people who are sick that you take extra precautions not to spread the virus. Make sure to wash your hands frequently and avoid contact with your nose and hands if you are around someone who is sick. Be careful and watch out for that cold that is just around the corner… aaahhhhchooo!