Causes of Common Cold
Most causes of common cold are due to rhinoviruses. The word rhinovirus comes from "rhin," the Greek word for nose. Rhinoviruses are in invisible droplets in the air we breathe or on things we touch. More than 100 different rhinoviruses can infiltrate the protective lining of the nose and throat, triggering an immune system reaction that can make throat sore, headache, and can make it hard to breathe through the nose.
Cold weather! Does it really cause a cold? Most of us are convinced that a cold is the results due to exposure to certain weather conditions like cold weather, chilled, heat or overheated. But (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease) NIAID fact sheet suggest that weather conditions have little or no effect on the cause or to say the severity of a cold. It also says that the factor like exercise, diet, or enlarged tonsils or adenoids has nothing to do with causes of common cold. But NIAID research also highlights or suggests that some psychological stress, allergic disorders affecting the nasal passages or throat, and even menstrual cycles may have an impact on a person's susceptibility to colds.
Air that's dry - indoors or out - can lower the resistance to infection by the viruses that are one of the causes of common cold. And so can being a smoker or being around someone who's smoking. People who smoke are more likely to catch a cold than people who don't - and their symptoms will probably be worse, last longer, and are more likely to lead to bronchitis or even pneumonia.
But despite what old wives' tales may have you believe, not wearing a jacket or sweater when it's chilly, sitting or sleeping in a draft, and going outside while your hair's wet do not cause common colds.
People are most likely to have colds during fall and winter, starting in late August or early September until March or April. The increased incidence of colds during the cold season may be attributed to the fact that more people are indoors and close to each other. In addition, many cold viruses thrive in low humidity, making the nasal passages drier and more vulnerable to infection.
The common cold is highly contagious. It is often spread through airborne droplets that are coughed or sneezed into the air by the contagious person and then inhaled by another person. Colds can also be spread by hand-to-hand or hand-to-infected-surface contact, after which a person touches his/her face.