What is a chronic cold?
Everyone knows the common cold. It usually heals within a few days. However, sometimes a cold can last for a longer period of time. The danger of this is especially great if a cold has not been cured properly. In the case of a chronic cold, the typical symptoms of a cold either persist over a period of several weeks at a time or recurrent episodes of illness occur within a very short time after an infection.
Causes
A chronic cold can occur especially when an infection has not been completely cured. Sufficient protection is important so that the body can effectively fight off the pathogens. Various means such as nasal showers, nasal sprays or inhalations can also have a positive influence on the course of the disease.
As a rule, however, a cold usually heals on its own. Under no circumstances should you delay the onset of a cold, i.e. you should not take a break and take it easy despite the infection. Apart from insufficient rest, there are a number of other possible causes for a chronic cold.
Smoking irritates the airways. In combination with other factors and pathogens, this can cause a chronic mucusy cough. An allergy can mimic the symptoms of a cold and last for a long period of time.
In addition, a combination of allergy and cold can also occur, which may interfere with healing. Besides external factors, the activity of the immune system also plays a role in the development of a chronic cold. Weaknesses of the immune system can have many causes.
They range from a vitamin deficiency to chronic stress to serious diseases such as AIDS. Stress plays an important role in the development of chronic colds. On the one hand, stress often prevents one from taking the time necessary to completely cure an infection.
Thus, it is easy for the cold to “drag on”. Due to the lack of rest, the body may no longer be able to fight an infection sufficiently, it becomes chronic. Stress that lasts for a long time has an effect on sleep, the hormone system and a number of other things such as diet or activity.
All these things influence the effectiveness of the immune system. Stress also has a direct influence on the immune response. An infection does not always have to be the cause of a chronic cold.
An allergy can also cause typical cold symptoms such as a stuffy nose or watery eyes. The body recognizes actually harmless substances from the environment as dangerous and reacts accordingly. An allergy usually lasts as long as the body is exposed to these substances.
This means that allergies can last a very long time and be misunderstood as a chronic infection. The diagnosis of an allergy can usually be made by a simple skin test at the doctor’s office. Coughing is also rather untypical for an allergy. This topic may also be of interest to you: Signs of an allergy
