Rhinitis – colloquially called common cold – (synonyms: coryza; nasal catarrh; rhinovirus; Greek artificial word ρινίτις from rhīs, “nose” and -ίτις, -ítis, “inflammation”; ICD-10 J00: acute rhinopharyngitis [common cold]) is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity.
We speak of rhinopharyngitis (cold) when there is inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nose (rhinitis) as well as the mucous membrane of the throat (pharyngitis).
The disease is caused by a variety of viruses – more than 200 viruses can be possible triggers, especially rhinoviruses (a genus of picornavirus) and adenoviruses – or bacteria – especially pneumococci, streptococci and staphylococci. Usually bacteria first multiply on a nasal mucosa damaged by viral rhinitis (bacterial super/secondary infection).
Seasonal accumulation of the disease: rhinitis occurs more frequently in autumn and winter, but also in spring and summer.
According to the time course, rhinitis can be divided into acute or chronic, i.e. inflammation of the nasal mucosa lasting longer than 12 weeks.
Transmission of the pathogen (route of infection) occurs by droplet infection in the air.
The incubation period (time from infection to onset of the disease) for acute rhinitis ranges from a few hours to seven days.
Sex ratio: boys are more often affected than girls and women more often than men.
Frequency peak: The disease occurs predominantly in childhood.
Adults in Germany suffer from acute rhinitis about three to four times a year, children between three and eight times a year.
Course and prognosis: Acute rhinitis usually lasts 5 days. After that, there is usually significant relief or at least a gradual improvement. Antibiotic therapy is usually not necessary and the course is usually mild and self-limiting. This also applies to acute rhinosinusitis (simultaneous inflammation of the nasal mucosa (“rhinitis”) and inflammation of the mucosa of the paranasal sinus (sinusitis)) as a result of rhinitis.
