Becker LA,

Chest. CHEST Expert Cough Panel. 57. Prasad AS, Ericson K, This makes mucus flow more freely and helps with congestion. 8. 2008;98(8):1372–1381. However, zinc was found to have no significant effect on the duration of colds in children (mean difference −0.26, 95% CI −0.78 to 0.25), but the effect was significant in adults (mean difference −2.63, 95% CI −3.69 to −1.58).74 Higher doses appeared to be more effective than lower doses. et al. et al. Holmes PW, 54. Barrett BP, Chronic persistent cough: use of ipratropium bromide in undiagnosed cases following upper respiratory tract infection. 32. No benefit for symptom duration or severity compared with no antibiotics or placebo, Antihistamine monotherapy (sedating and nonsedating), 2 Cochrane reviews of 18 RCTs and a subsequent RCT6,34, No more effective than placebo for global improvement, Cochrane review of 10 trials without meta-analysis6, Cochrane review of 24 RCTs without meta-analysis49, No more effective than placebo for reducing symptom duration or severity, Cochrane review of 6 trials with 387 participants52, No benefit of using heated humidified air for treatment of URIs, No more effective than placebo for reducing symptom duration or severity once symptoms have developed, No difference in URI occurrence, days of missed work, or symptom duration or severity with high-dose vitamin D supplementation (200,000 IU followed by 100,000 IU monthly), Significantly worse URI symptoms with daily supplementation of vitamin E (200 mg) compared with no supplementation; no difference in URI occurrence. Over-the-counter cold medications should not be used in children younger than four years because of potential harms and lack of benefit. Reinecke S, Nevertheless, the majority of results suggested that physical preventive measures such as handwashing reduced the risk of getting or spreading upper respiratory tract infections. Accessed June 19, 2019. /

Informing patients about the self-limited nature of the common cold can help manage expectations, limit antibiotic use, and avoid over-the-counter purchases that may not help. Learn which cold medicines to take, which ones are safe, and which ones may cause problems. Effect of honey, dextromethorphan, and no treatment on nocturnal cough and sleep quality for coughing children and their parents. For a common cold, questions to ask your doctor include: Your doctor is likely to ask you questions, such as: While you're waiting for your appointment, get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. Treatment is directed at relieving signs and symptoms. Assessment of the antitussive efficacy of codeine in cough associated with common cold. Preventing the common cold with a garlic supplement: a double-blind, placebo-controlled survey. McKean M, More details regarding primary conditions whose signs and symptoms overlap with those of the common cold are available in guidelines and review articles on allergic rhinitis,25 sore throat,26 sinusitis,21 otitis media24 and influenza.27,28 In addition, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has released a primary care guide for prescribing antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infections.29, Preventive therapies are summarized in Table 1.30–50, Interventions for the prevention of the common cold.

et al. et al. Singh M, Br J Nutr. 12.

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. Yale SH, Fleming-Dutra KE,

Alfaleh K. Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy linked below. U.S. Food Drug Administration. http://www.cdc.gov/features/rhinoviruses/. Standish L, Accessed June 19, 2019. https://www.aafp.org/afp/2007/0215/p515.html. Think twice before using heavily advertised over-the-counter cold and flu medications, which likely contain drugs for symptoms you don't have and therefore may result in needless overtreatment.The FDA and manufacturers now say that over-the-counter cough and cold drugs should not be given to children under age 4. Patients with moderate to severe symptoms may use a variety of therapies to relieve symptoms. Bhasale AL, Hersh AL, / Journals Accessed November 21, 2018. Zinc appears to be effective in reducing the number of colds per year, at least in children. The effectiveness of high dose zinc acetate lozenges on various common cold symptoms: a meta-analysis. Beta2-agonists for acute cough or a clinical diagnosis of acute bronchitis. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommends against giving OTC cough and cold medicines to children younger than age 4 as they may be harmful. et al.

Antitussives. Accessed July 17, 2019. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_10/sr10_200.pdf... 2. et al. Zinc gluconate lozenges for treating the common cold in children: a randomized controlled trial. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. 2010;103(1):58–68. Slapak I, Fashner J, DeSutter AI, Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products.

Chest. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 24. Singh M, 15. Bauer R. 2017;(5):CD002190. Hübner C, 66. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. Duijvestijn YC. Prevalence of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions among US ambulatory care visits, 2010–2011.

Part 9. 2014;29(2):224–232. How soon do you expect symptoms to improve? Treatment of the common cold. et al. et al. BMC Infect Dis. Prevention of upper respiratory tract infections by gargling: a randomized trial. Beiler JS, Taylor JA, Hemilä H, Woelkart K, Fineman S, Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs—mainly ibuprofen—have been shown to reduce headache, ear pain, muscle pain, joint pain, and sneezing but do not improve cough, cold duration, or total symptom score. The well-designed RCT involved 387 adults randomly assigned to gargling with water, gargling with a diluted povidone–iodine solution or usual care (control).37 Gargling with the povidone–iodine solution had no effect, whereas gargling with water was effective in reducing the risk of an upper respiratory tract infection (30.1% v. 40.8% in the control group; p = 0.044), for a number needed to treat of 10. 28. Duration of symptoms and plasma cytokine levels in patients with the common cold treated with zinc acetate.

46. Compound formulas of traditional Chinese medicine for the common cold: systematic review of randomized, placebo-controlled trials. We do not explore the proposed biologic mechanisms for the different products, because most are not substantiated and generally represent more supposition than science.

Hay AD,

Allergic rhinitis presents similarly, but it may have a seasonal component or clear allergic aggravation and is unlikely to have an accompanying sore throat. Yoder KE,

As a result, pooling of data was limited, and many of the studies had an unclear or high risk of bias. et al. Hemilä H. Guillemard E, Cochrane Database Syst Rev.

Smart Grocery Shopping When You Have Diabetes, Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Dogs and Cats, Coronavirus in Context: Interviews With Experts.

2017;152(5):1021–1037. Hay AD, The use of hand sanitizer is more protective than hand washing and is associated with shorter duration of symptoms and fewer school absences. 2011;2011:282151. Roth DE, Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on CMAJ. Paul IM, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ganshorn H, Contributors: Michael Allan and Bruce Arroll independently searched and reviewed the evidence. Accessed Feb. 5, 2016.

65. 69. 1999;88(4):465–467. Tschaikin M. Zanasi A, FREE book offer – Mayo Clinic Health Letter. Altern Ther Health Med. Schumacher H, 60. et al. Wodny M, Halablab MA, Source: For more information on the Choosing Wisely Campaign, see https://www.choosingwisely.org. Chang YJ, We selected the highest level of evidence available for each intervention, focusing on systematic reviews (with or without a meta-analysis) and RCTs. See also Appendix 1 (available at www.cmaj.ca/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1503/cmaj.121442/-/DC1) for a more detailed discussion of each intervention. ;

Does inhaling menthol affect nasal patency or cough? I or my child has these other health conditions. Paul IM, Also, learn more about natural remedies and find the most effective cold treatment for you. For information about the SORT evidence rating system, go to https://www.aafp.org/afpsort. et al. Johnstone J, van Driel ML. Antitussives and expectorants have little benefit in the treatment of cough due to the common cold.6,54 Codeine and other opioid antitussives have not been studied extensively for the treatment of acute cough in adults.6 One trial of 82 adults found that codeine was no more effective than placebo for cough; however, both groups had significant reductions in cough frequency and severity during the first two days of treatment.48. However, four other RCTs found no improvement in nasal congestion compared with placebo. Sore throats. A large systematic review and meta-analysis53 found that the antihistamine–decongestant combination reduced global symptoms in six pooled studies (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.50). Enlarge Michaels BS, ; Garlic for the common cold. Kuhle S. Pediatr Pulmonol. Address correspondence to Katharine C. DeGeorge, MD, MS, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Box 800729, Charlottesville, VA 22908 (email: kd6fp@virginia.edu). Centor criteria20 are helpful in delineating the need for throat swabs and antibiotics. Kok FJ. Chalker E. Corticosteroids for the common cold. Consistent findings of three RCTs involving children suggest that a single night-time dose of honey can have a small effect on cough and sleep in children over 12 months old.71–73 Multiple methodologic issues were present in one or more of the trials, including inadequate description of randomization and allocation, no blinding, exclusion of patients who deviated from the protocol, substitution of clinician ratings in place of parent or child ratings, funding by the Honey Board and uncertain clinical significance.68,71–73 There was no consistency in adverse events between the trials. Zhang X, Paul IM, Get a good night’s rest with these remedies. Gould DJ, Groups reviewing the evidence for the antibiotic treatment of sinusitis recommend that symptoms be present for 7–10 days and not show signs of improvement before antibiotics are considered.21,22, Ear pain and otitis media commonly accompany or follow the common cold, particularly in children. Macknin ML, Chalker E.

Taylor JA,

The common cold is the conventional term used to describe a mild, self-limiting, viral, upper respiratory tract infection characterized by nasal stuffiness and discharge, sneezing, sore throat, and cough. Barrett B, Josling P. 2000;(2):CD001107. et al. Kenia P, Kenealy T, Aiello AE, 7. Hao Q, KATHARINE C. DEGEORGE, MD, MS, is an associate professor of family medicine, assistant director of the Family Medicine Residency Program, and associate director of the Faculty Development Fellowship at the University of Virginia Department of Family Medicine, Charlottesville.... DANIEL J.

No competing interests declared by Michael Allan. Although overall adverse events were not increased, there were significant increases in dry mouth (OR 3.77, 95% CI 1.75 to 8.14) and insomnia (OR 3.02, 95% CI 1.08 to 8.47). But is it a good idea to exercise if you have a cold? If you feel like eating, a hot, spicy soup may help ease your cold symptoms. 2003;290(21):2824–2830. Heated, humidified air for the common cold.

74. Effect of dextromethorphan, diphenhydramine, and placebo on nocturnal cough and sleep quality for coughing children and their parents.