Sniffles: The Sad, Sorry Saga of a Summer Cold

Day 1. It's my second day back home after a short semi-tropical vacation. My throat's a bit sore, but I ignore it. After all, who catches a cold in July?

Common colds are a year-round phenomenon, but the viruses that cause them may change with the seasons, says Roger Baxter, M.D., an infectious disease specialist with Kaiser Permanente. 

This time of year, there's a good chance that my cold is caused by an enterovirus. While these viruses are known for causing diarrhea, some enterovirus infections behave more like a common cold, Dr. Baxter says. They sometimes cause a rash and fever along with a sore throat, congestion and coughing. 

Dr. Baxter sees patients at Kaiser's Broadway facility in Oakland and is also co-director of the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center. (He's also, incidentally, a Piedmont Avenue area resident.) He's agreed to talk with me about summertime colds — or "upper respiratory infections," as physicians call them.

What show up next on the calendar of colds are the rhinoviruses, which cause about half of all colds, Dr. Baxter says. These are most common in fall and late spring.

During October and November, they may may joined by human parainfluenza viruses, or HPIVs. Winter may bring influenza and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) infections, which sometimes present like a cold.

Adenoviruses cause cold-like symptoms year-round, especially in cold "outbreaks," Dr. Baxter says.

And, finally, there are the coronaviruses. It's a group perhaps best known for the SARS virus,  but coronaviruses are also responsible for about 10 percent of all colds, Dr. Baxter says.

Days 2 and 3. This is definitely a cold, a heavy one — runny nose, cough, a slight fever and a strong urge to just stay in bed. I blame the small child sitting behind me on the plane.

Researchers have studied the transmission of colds during air travel "a lot," says Dr. Baxter, and they don't think the recirculating air systems on planes are to blame.

Coughing and sneezing are not very efficient ways for a cold to spread, Dr. Baxter explains. Mostly a cold passes from person to person via touch.

"Flight attendants are very efficient at spreading colds," he says.

That's because the attendants come in contact with so many passengers, and a virus from an infected person can attach itself to a plastic glass or food packet. 

"If you have a fear of catching cold on a plane, your best bet is to pass up any food or drink," Dr. Baxter says.

Days 4 and 5. I make a grocery store run to replenish my supply of tissues and chicken soup. I'm working from home, and people I talk with by phone say, "You still sound awful."

Decongestants can help lessen cold symptoms, and the best choice for adults is probably Sudafed (pseudoephedrine) — despite the hassle of obtaining it, Dr. Baxter says. Because pseudoephedrine is used in illegal methamphetamine manufacturing, its sale is restricted. You'll have to ask for it at the pharmacy counter and buy it in small quantities.

Antihistamines, though, may dry out your sinuses too much and interfere with the body's process for ridding itself of a cold. Dr. Baxter recommends against their use for congestion due to a cold.

Nonsteroidal over-the-counter medications such as Advil and Tylenol may help with other symptoms, Dr. Baxter says.

Zinc — available as pills, lozenges and nasal sprays — may help, especially if taken when a cold first starts, but it comes with a risk, Dr. Baxter says. Zinc treatments have affected the sense of smell permanently in some people, and he doesn't recommend them because of that potential risk.

Echinacea, a medicinal plant treatment, is popular, but it has not been shown to help shorten colds or lessen symptoms, Dr. Baxter says. 

"People swear by Vitamin C, and in the end it may help a little bit — especially in people who exercise regularly," he says.

And some treatments just aren't worth it. Dr. Baxter described research where facial tissues were impregnated with interferon, a potent anti-viral medication, and distributed to family members of people infected with colds.

"It did help," he says, "but the interferon made people feel like they had the flu. It felt worse than a cold."

Days 6 and 7. Feeling better, but still sniffling and coughing. 

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that there are more than 1 billion cases of the common cold in the U.S. each year, with many millions of school and work days lost to the sniffles. 

On average, children catch six to seven colds a year, adults two to three colds, Dr. Baxter says. Children under 5 years old tend to get more fevers with their colds, and children under 2 "lots more fevers," he says.

"Colds are very effective, in a Darwinian sense," he says. "They don't kill the host, they're very infectious, very good at spreading, and they don't make you feel that bad."

He notes that it's the reaction of your body's immune system, rather than the virus directly, that makes you feel bad when you have a cold. 

Because the immune system is "less robust" in older people, cold sufferers in their 70s and above may not react as strongly to a cold virus and may not feel as bad as a younger person would.

Day 8. Please, cold, just go away. It's been over a week now.

While they are often shorter, colds can last more than a week, Dr. Baxter says. The particular virus and your age and general health can affect how long a cold lingers.

Day 9. A working lunch with my manager and another Patch editor feels likes an occasion. It's the closest thing to a social event I've been to in more than a week.