THE COMMON COLD

Dr. Elías Jiménez F.

The common cold or flu is one of the most common infections found in pediatrics, and due to all the different viruses that can cause it, and the little immunity left by them, it is one of the most recurring ones too.

The frequency of colds increases as the child starts playing with other kids, especially when he starts going to kindergarten. Also, when there are siblings of different ages the cold viruses go around more easily within the family nucleus.

The first symptoms are moderate fever and general malaise and then, after 24 to 48 hours, nasal congestion, sneezing and rhinorrhea (nose dribbling). It is also frequent to see some cough, loose appetite and, especially in small children, sleep disturbances.

The infection is self limited, and will diminish by itself usually in a one-week period.

Certain complications may occur due to the flu. These may be ear infections, sinusitis or bronchitis. These generally are accompanied by a persistent or increasing fever, pain or irritability, yellowish or greenish rhinorrhea, and cough increase with a lot of phlegm or difficulty to breathe.

It is therefore important to establish the difference between the common cold, without complications, and some of the infections or problems that the infection might carry along because their treatment is completely different.

The treatment for the common cold should be very simple: rest during the acute phase, enough liquid intake and some kind of analgesic, like acetaminophen, occasionally to control the temperature and the general discomfort. Antibiotics are not useful and sometimes they might even be dangerous.

It is common practice that a combination of antihistaminic and decongestant is prescribed. These are present in most flu medicines. Recent studies have shown that these drugs rather than helping suppress the cold symptoms provoke somnolence and irritability in children, so their use is not recommended as a routine.

With the exception of the vaccine specifically for influenza, all the other flu shots that are promoted do not work so you shouldn't waste your money buying these products.

What is important is the prompt identification of any complication; the sooner their treatment begins the better the results. Also it is important to prevent some of this complications. For example, avoiding that a child with a cold to go in a pool or by using a bronchi-dilator when we know that the child suffers from asthma attacks due to colds.