Causes
Causes for colds are often small and harmless viral infections. These can occur seasonally. As the name “common cold” suggests, most of these small inflammations occur in cold seasons.The cold alone cannot cause the common cold, but it can weaken the immune system and make the mucous membranes vulnerable to viruses.
The viruses can be transmitted via the air in small droplets to the mucous membranes, where they multiply and cause typical cold symptoms. The most common responsible viruses are the “adenoviruses”. One of the typical accompanying symptoms of the common cold is ear pain, which is caused by the mucus and the viruses infecting the ear trumpet.
Complaints of the throat, nose and eyes are also spread via the tough infectious mucus. The middle ear is a closed space, also known as the “tympanic cavity”. It connects the eardrum with the inner ear and transmits acoustic signals via vibrations to the ossicles of the middle ear.
The only open access to the middle ear is via the auditory trumpet, a tube that connects the ear to the throat. This is normally closed, but can be opened briefly by equalizing pressure or by swallowing. The most common cause of inflammation is the transmission of pathogens from the nose and throat. In a purulent middle ear infection, the entire tympanic cavity can fill with pus through the mucous membranes. Typical symptoms are earache, hearing loss and possibly dizziness.
Associated symptoms
Colds can be accompanied by very different symptoms and affected organ systems. Most frequently affected are the organs that are directly connected to the nose or throat via mucous membranes. For this reason, not only the ears but also the eyes are often affected.
Watery eyes can occur, causing burning and pain. The respiratory tract can also be increasingly affected by mucus and viruses. Via the airways, bronchitis or even pneumonia with a severe cough can occur.
Often the body temperature is also elevated. With the onset of fever, chills, headaches and aching limbs can also set in. In rare cases, the cold can spread to other parts of the body and organs.
Quite often, it can lead to inflammation of teeth with corresponding pain. More rarely, however, in the case of a long-standing and untreated cold, an infection of the inner heart wall, which is accompanied by high fever. Neck pain is a common but harmless symptom of a cold.
There can be several causes behind it. Often it is merely tension, which can occur after a few days due to rest and bed rest. More common, however, is a projection of a sore throat on the neck.
If the sore throat is deep-seated, the pain can be provoked and intensified by moving the head. For this reason, those affected erroneously perceive an additional neck pain due to the spatial proximity to the neck. A very rare but dangerous reason for neck pain can be the onset of meningitis.
It is extremely rare in an adult cold, but can occur more frequently in children. Often symptoms are ignored or a persistent flu remains untreated for too long. As a result, the pathogens spread into the bloodstream and cause inflammation of the meninges.
This causes neck stiffness, photophobia, fever, nausea and vomiting. Back pain is a rather unusual symptom of a cold, it is not directly related to the disease. In most cases, it is caused by a cramping of the back muscles, which can be traced back to various causes.
On the one hand, the muscles tense up due to prolonged bed rest, which can lead to annoying back pain at night and when lying down. Furthermore, the muscles can tense up in stressful situations, especially in the presence of fever with aching limbs. As the cold subsides, the back pain should normally also subside.
Eye pain is common when the nose and sinuses are cold. The reason for this is a pressure that is exerted on the eye and the surrounding tissues. The increased production of mucus causes the mucous membranes of the paranasal sinuses to swell, which can lead to painful pressure due to the close proximity of the eye socket.
The eye muscles and the optic nerve can be put under pressure, resulting in blurred vision, double vision and pain. Targeted external pressure on specific nerve exit points around the eye socket can confirm nerve involvement and irritation. In addition to the eye pain, tears may also be seen in the eyes.The mucus from the sinuses is also involved, which blocks the drainage of tears from the eye.
In the course of a cold or shortly after a cold with earaches, toothache can also occur. The cold is only indirectly related to toothache. On the one hand, minor inflammations in the tooth may have already existed before.
However, the immune system was previously able to fight the inflammation. With the common cold, however, these mechanisms were weakened, which is why the pain can now germinate. Another reason for toothache can be the involvement of the paranasal sinuses.
The maxillary sinus also belongs to the paranasal sinuses and can be affected by the infection and the tough mucus. As in the rest of the sinuses, pressure and pain occur, which is projected onto the teeth due to the spatial proximity. Toothache is particularly likely to occur in cases of pre-existing earache.
Pain in the limbs is a typical early symptom in the development of fever. Fever is an important and frequent symptom in minor and major infections and flu. The body temperature is raised to better combat the pathogens and other processes in the body are slowed down.
A general weakness also occurs in order to give the body the necessary rest for recovery. The metabolism of the muscles is also reduced. For this reason a feeling of exhaustion and slight pain in the muscles occurs.
Pain in the limbs can often be an early symptom before the fever sets in. Sore throat is one of the most common symptoms of a cold. The mucous membranes in the throat and on the palate are particularly susceptible to the first settlements of pathogens, which is why sore throats can become noticeable at an early stage.
Together with aching limbs and fever, it is often the first symptom of a beginning illness. Apart from the typical neck scratching in connection with a cold, an inflammation of the tonsils may also be present. This also causes sore throat and difficulty swallowing.
