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Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staff- Acute ear infection (otitis media). Ear infection occurs when bacteria or viruses infiltrate the space behind the eardrum. It's a frequent complication of common colds in children. Typical signs and symptoms include earaches and, in some cases, a green or yellow discharge from the nose or the return of a fever following a common cold. Children who are too young to verbalize their distress may simply cry or sleep restlessly. Ear pulling is not a reliable sign.
- Wheezing. A cold can trigger wheezing in children with asthma.
- Sinusitis. In adults or children, a common cold that doesn't resolve may lead to sinusitis — inflammation and infection of the sinuses.
- Other secondary infections. These include strep throat (streptococcal pharyngitis), pneumonia, bronchitis in adults and croup in children. These infections need to be treated by a doctor.
References
- Gwaltney JM. The common cold. In: Mandell GL, et al. Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2005. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/107482514-6/0/1259/1.html?tocnode=51375605&fromURL=1.html. Accessed Oct. 15, 2008.
- Health matters: The common cold. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. http://www.niaid.nih.gov/factsheets/cold.htm. Accessed Oct. 9, 2008.
- Guidelines for the prevention and treatment of influenza and the common cold. American Lung Association. http://www.lungusa.org. Accessed Oct. 9, 2008.
- Common cold. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/commonCold/. Accessed Oct. 15, 2008.
- Many OTC medications not recommended for cough treatment. American College of Chest Physicians. http://www.chestnet.org. Accessed Oct. 9, 2008.
- Mabry RL, et al. Allergic rhinitis. In: Cummings CW, et al. Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery. 4th ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2005. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/108305975-4/763572162/1263/394.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-01985-4..50045-9--cesec13_1707. Accessed Oct. 24, 2008.
- New cough guidelines urge adult whooping cough vaccine. American College of Chest Physicians. http://www.chestnet.org/. Accessed Oct. 15, 2008.
- Infant deaths associated with cough and cold medications - United States, 2005. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/media/mmwrnews/2007/n070111.htm. Accessed Oct. 23, 2008.
- Hopkins AB. Chicken soup cure may not be a myth. The Nurse Practitioner. 2003;28(6):16.
- Zinc. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed Oct. 8, 2008.
- Reynolds SA, et al., Hand sanitizer alert. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no03/05-0955.htm. Accessed Oct. 3, 2008.
- Aminoff MJ, et al. Disorders of cognitive function - Reye syndrome. In: Aminoff MJ, et al. Clinical Neurology. 6th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2005. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2079232&searchStr=reye+syndrome. Accessed Oct. 24, 2008.
- Echinacea. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed Oct. 9, 2008.
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed Oct. 9, 2008.
- Transcript of FDA press conference on cough and cold medicine. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/bbs/transcripts/2008/coughcold_transcript011708.pdf. Accessed Oct. 10, 2008.
- FDA statement following CHPA's announcement on nonprescription over-the-counter cough and cold medicines in children. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01899.html. Accessed Oct. 9, 2008.
