Learn about Common cold symptoms from Consumer Reports Health.

Common cold

What are the symptoms of a common cold?

The common cold isn't a serious illness. But the symptoms can be unpleasant.

You may feel quite sick for a couple of days. But your symptoms should clear up in a week to 10 days.

First symptoms

Your early symptoms may include:

Source:
Eccles R.
Understanding the symptoms of the common cold and influenza.
Lancet Infectious Diseases. 2005; 5: 718-725.

A dry, scratchy sore throat (often the first symptom you get)
Sneezing
A headache (more than 3 in 5 people get a headache)
A runny nose with watery mucus
Watery eyes
Chills and a fever. Young children may have a fever. But this is less common in older children and adults.

Later symptoms

You may get these symptoms later on:

Source:
Eccles R.
Understanding the symptoms of the common cold and influenza.
Lancet Infectious Diseases. 2005; 5: 718-725.

A blocked nose. This usually gets worse over the first few days. It happens when the blood vessels in your nose swell up, and the mucus from your nose becomes thick and green.
Sinus pain. The sinuses are air pockets in the bone just behind your nose. You get pain when they get blocked with mucus.
A cough. At first you may get a dry cough that keeps you awake at night. Later on, you might cough up mucus. Your cough could last three weeks or more.
Muscle aches and pains. About half of people with a cold get these.
Tiredness and irritability.
Loss of appetite.

Do I have a cold or the flu?

It can be hard to know if you have a cold or the flu. The symptoms are similar, but the flu is more serious. Also the flu is caused by a particular

viruses
Viruses are microbes (tiny organisms) that need the cells of humans or other animals to exist. They use the machinery of cells to reproduce. Then they spread to other cells in the body.

virus called the influenza virus. But you won't usually know what kind of virus is making you sick. And a bad cold can cause an illness that's quite like the flu. The main difference is that someone with the flu is more likely to:

Get sick suddenly
Have a fever
Have a cough
Feel extremely weak.

Sources for the information on this page:

Eccles R.Understanding the symptoms of the common cold and influenza.Lancet Infectious Diseases. 2005; 5: 718-725.

This information was last updated on Apr 09, 2009

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.
© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2009. All rights reserved.

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