Definition
One speaks of a delayed cold when a rather harmless cold, usually caused by viruses, turns into a severe cold or the symptoms of the cold do not disappear for more than two weeks. A delayed cold can cause serious complications, for example in the heart and lungs, and can therefore be life-threatening. Therefore, a sufficient rest period should be ensured – even if it is initially only a mild cold – and especially if sport is avoided.
Causes for a delayed cold
The main cause of a delayed cold is the premature resumption of sports activities before the cold has been cured properly. Heavy physical work can also have a negative effect on the healing of a cold. Therefore, especially in such occupational groups, care should be taken to ensure that sick leave is sufficiently long.
Smoking during a cold can also prolong or worsen the symptoms. Therefore, smoking should be avoided even if you have a mild cold. If the body is not sufficiently protected, the immune system cannot work properly and needs a longer time to fight the triggers of the cold. If the immune system is already weakened anyway, such as by stress at work, a more serious infection can settle on the mild one and result in, for example, bronchitis, sinusitis or pneumonia.
I can tell from these symptoms that I have a delayed cold
The symptoms of a delayed cold can be very different: They can be rather harmless over a longer period of time, such as an annoying cough. However, the symptoms can also have more serious effects and attack organs, triggering for example pneumonia (pneumonia) or myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle). A delayed cold can be particularly recognized by the duration of the symptoms: On the one hand, it is probably a delayed cold if the symptoms remain unchanged after about 10 to 12 days, first get better and then get worse again or simply get worse over a longer period of time.
The duration of the cold symptoms is therefore a good indication of whether a cold has not been completely cured. Typical cold symptoms are rhinitis, cough, sore throat, headache and aching limbs. If the cold gets worse, it can also lead to fever and breathing difficulties during physical exertion.
If yellowish or greenish sputum appears after a few days, it can be assumed that a bacterial infection has been added to the viral one. This can then spread to the paranasal sinuses or even to the lungs. If the heart is attacked by the delayed cold, cardiac dysrhythmia, palpitations and also pain when breathing in can occur.
- Colds caused by bacteria
- Causes of a cold
Coughing can be a sign of a delayed cold and can last for more than two weeks and then get better. However, it can also get worse and lead to bronchitis. In addition to the cough, sputum is produced, which is whitish in bacterial and viral inflammation.
In addition, it can lead to fever, headache and aching limbs. If the bronchitis is then not treated, pneumonia can develop. This is usually accompanied by high fever, chest pain and chills and should be treated urgently with antibiotics.
Breathlessness (dyspnoea) can occur when the lungs are affected by the cold. For example, a delayed cold can lead to shortness of breath when climbing stairs or walking a little faster because the lung has not yet completely healed. A blocked nasal cavity or paranasal sinus can also occur as a result of a delayed cold. Since inhalation becomes more difficult in this case, breathing difficulties can also occur as a result. Sudden shortness of breath can also occur in the case of inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis).Here, especially during sporting activity, sudden shortness of breath occurs because the heart is overstrained by the inflammation and can no longer perform its task (decompensation): the blood can no longer be pumped through the body by the heart and accumulates in the lungs, which can lead to shortness of breath and result in a life-threatening condition.
