Cold also called as “Common Cold” the word itself scares out many people due to its reaction affecting human body to do their daily work. When someone wakes up in the morning with running nose, sneezing with a hoarse voice with relatively lower body temperature then definitely it´s the starting stage for cold which is caused due to the virus. The human body can never memorize the viral strain and build up resistance against the cold-causing virus that is the one of the main reason why human beings are prone to cold.

According to Disease Control and prevention-children below 5 are affected with cold with an average of 12 children affected by cold in a year. There are more than 200 types of virus found on this planet Earth in 50 percent of cold is caused due to Rhinovirus


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The common Cold syndrome is a term to describe the inflammatory disease which is acute and affect the upper respiratory tract which consists of tonsils, pharynx, larynx and these parts get exposed to air, water droplets which get infected when inhaled along with the virus.

Types of Colds due to Various Virus Attacks:

To get more knowledge about cold its types due to various virus, rather than just knowing that cold causes running noise here are few important cold types brought out.

1. Human Para Influenza Virus:

It is a group of containing four main viruses which are responsible for cold and its associated symptoms.The types of Human para influenza virus are HPIV-1: Which is the main cause for Croup cough in kids.HPIV-2  virus seen during microscopic examination for croup disease.HPIV-3 is responsible for pneumonia and inflammation of bronchial tube leading to bronchitis.They are two sub types for HPIV-4 they are HPIV- A&B which is rarely seen during acute respiratory infection condition.

It is transmitted through hand contamination, handshake. It takes one week for the symptoms to occur.The common symptom seen are

  • Cough.
  • runny nose.
  • congested nostrils.

2. Rhinovirus:

Cold is most commonly caused due to this Rhinovirus which belongs to the Picornaviridae and grows in temperature between 33 to 35-degree Celsius which are the ideal temperature around the nose region.This virus affects kids and adults which enter via the upper respiratory tract with an incubation period less than 2 days.The common symptoms include:

  • Sore throat
  • nasal congestion
  • the decrease in body temperature
  • sneezing
  • it is also accompanied by muscle ache, loss of appetite

3. Corona virus:

Coronavirus belongs to the family Coronaviridae.It is also one of the primary virus leading to cold.It affects the upper respiratory tract.There are various strains of corona virus which affect the human system one of the well-hyped virus categories is SARS-CoV which affects both the upper respiratory system and the lower respiratory system.This type of cold is seen during winter and spring season.The other disease caused due to this virus are Pneumonia, Bronchitis.

4. Respiratory Syntactical Virus:

It is the very common virus which causes cold and it is highly contagious.It is the most virus which affects the baby younger than two years or even small babies who are under 10 weeks old.The most common symptoms are

  • runny nose
  • cough
  • in activeness
  • consulting doctor is highly recommended when the baby has trouble in breathing, Mucus which is green in color, dehydration.

This type of cold can be prevented by washing hands before touching a newly born baby, Avoiding to kiss the baby when someone has a cold and cough.

5. Paramyxovirus:

It is considered to be less harmful when cold caused due to paramyxovirus which affects the nose and the respiratory tract.

The symptoms could be

  • Sneezing
  • Blocked nose
  • Sore throat
  • Watery eyes
  • Loss of appetite
  • Headache
  • Chillness
  • Loss  of taste

When this virus persists complication like sinusitis, Bronchitis, Infection ears.

See More: Best Medicine For Cold

6. Adenovirus:

It belongs to the family Adneoviridae, which causes respiratory tract infection for children and also life threating organ failures for people with a less immune system.Adults who are affected by the common cold due to adenovirus is less contagious.The symptoms include

  • Sore throat
  • Running nose
  • Swelling of the sinus
  • Tiredness
  • Loss of appetite
  • Itching throat.
  • Loss of taste sensation.

Undiagnosed conditions which are causes cold-related to adenovirus are Cystic fibrosis, Allergies, Emphysema.

7. Coxsackievirus:

It belongs to the family Enterovirus.They affect the intestines.They are more commonly seen in children until puberty stage.In adults, coxsackvirus related cold is less common.The most commonly seen disease due to coxsackievirus A16 is a hand-foot-mouth disease.The symptoms include

  • Sore throat
  • Fatigue
  • Chills
  • Blockage of nose
  • stuffy nose
  • Vomiting
  • Loose stools

Kids affected with this virus will have the sudden rise in body temperature.The whole period for illness will be around a week if a reason for the cold is diagnosed at the right time and plenty of fluid consumption is highly recommended.

See More: Pregnancy Cold Remedies

8. Enterovirus:

Enterovirus are RNA virus which is single stranded consisting of twelve species, which causes cold in Human beings. Enterovirus is usually classified into polio virus, Coxsackievirus, and Echo virus.It is found in virally infected saliva, sputum.

The common symptoms seen are

  • Runny nose
  • Lethargic
  • Headache
  • Nausea
  • Indigestion
  • Gastric reflux
  • Cough
  • Sneezing and shortness of breath.
  • Swollen lymph nodes

9. Orthomyxoviridae:

it is an RNA virus that consists of seven types Influenza virus A-D, Isavirus, Thogotovirus and last is Quaranjavirus. Influenza virus A, B and C affects human being and birds.One of the virus causing cold which is contagious.The infection is transmitted through saliva, blood, feces and during pregnancy affecting the baby.

See More: Headache Types

10. Metapneumovirus:

Human metapneumovirus which usually spreads due to hand touch contact with people who already this virus infection.The people who are highly at risk for getting in this virus are the asthmatic patient who has a weak immunity, lung infection, patients who are under long-term steroids.The symptom is related to upper respiratory tract infection.

  • Fever
  • Sore throat
  • Cough
  • Children with weak immune system develop illness like
  • Pneumonia
  • Asthmatic-flare
  • Breathing difficulty
  • Loss of appetite

When cold is left untreated for people who have a very less immunity will lead to complications like to it is media an acute infection of the ear, asthma, sinusitis and other infections like pneumonia and lung infection. Treating the cold at the right time with diet, less exposing to cold, drinking lot of warm fluid with the right medication will definitely help to overcome the cold in a week.

Hand washing is the best method of preventing from getting a cold from a virus as well preventing from spreading it to others. Salt water gargling is advised to reduce the swelling caused by viral infection.

Saanvi

About Saanvi

Saanvi Sharma is an excellent web content writer in health and nutrition. Her expertise in the subject stems from in-depth research and knowledge that she gained over the years. Her interest in science coupled with a bachelor's degree in biotechnology proves as an added advantage and further adds value to her writing. She is highly interested in science, thus writing quality content became her virtue.
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