Will people die of the common cold?

December 27, 2019 / BIOON / -- many people know that influenza is fatal, but in fact, the Spanish influenza outbreak in 1918 caused 50 million deaths, which is more than the number of deaths in the first World War, so will the common cold kill people? Cold is a combination of cough, sneeze, runny nose, fatigue and fever, not a definite disease Although it has many similarities with the initial symptoms of influenza, it is a very different infection Photo source: cizentruth.org rhinovirus accounts for about half of all cold causes, while other viruses can cause one or more cold symptoms, including adenovirus, influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus and parainfluenza virus The common cold is usually a mild illness that will heal in a few days without treatment Because of its mild nature, most cases are self diagnosed However, infection with rhinovirus or other viruses that cause symptoms of the common cold can be serious for some people; complications of the cold can lead to serious illness or even death, especially for those with vulnerable immune systems Studies have shown that patients who have received bone marrow transplantation are more likely to have severe respiratory infection Although rhinoviruses are not considered to be the main cause, other viruses associated with common cold symptoms, such as RSV, adenovirus and parainfluenza virus, are considered to be the main cause Of course, there are more than one way for a person to become very weak after being infected with respiratory virus Viruses such as adenovirus can cause systemic symptoms, including gastrointestinal, urinary and liver symptoms Viruses such as influenza viruses can potentially cause severe pneumonia, and at the same time, they can cause special serious diseases, such as bacterial pneumonia Bacterial infection caused by virus is a way of death caused by cold or influenza virus Although researchers are currently studying how bacterial infection is caused by patella infection, one possible way is that it will increase bacterial adhesion of lung cells For example, rhinovirus will increase the level of receptor named raf-r in lung cells, which will promote such as lung Bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae can bind to cells more effectively and increase the possibility of causing serious diseases such as pneumonia Photo source: Wikipedia's high-risk population unfortunately, colds can also cause more serious symptoms in young children and the elderly Older people are more likely to develop more severe infections than adults or older children People who smoke or are exposed to second-hand smoke are also more likely to catch cold and develop more serious symptoms Another group of people who are more seriously affected by cold virus infection are those with lung diseases, including asthma, cystic fibrosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Infection with a virus that causes inflammation of the respiratory tract can make it much more difficult to breathe, and people with COPD are at risk of bacterial infection from a mild cold virus Although these bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics, there is no effective antiviral treatment for all types of rhinoviruses For other respiratory viruses, such as influenza, there is an effective vaccine that can help protect people who are vulnerable to influenza, including asthmatics, young children and the elderly The severity of the cold and cold virus is not determined by a single factor, but there are many situations or factors that can send out dangerous signals, and one of the best ways to avoid the flu is to wash your hands properly, which can effectively prevent the spread of multiple infections, not just the virus that causes the common cold Each of us (not only those susceptible people) should be injected Influenza vaccine is very important for the effective prevention of viral infection Reference materials: [1] Taubenberger JK, KASH JC, morens DM The 1918 influenza pandemics: 100 years of questions answered and unanswered SCI trans Med 2019 Jul 24; 11 (502) PII: eaau5485 Doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aau5485 [2] Ghosh s, Champlin R, court R, et al Rhinovirus effects in myelosuppressed adult blood and marrow transplant recipients Clin Infect Dis 1999 Sep；29(3)：528-32 【3】Ishizuka S， Yamaya M， Suzuki T， et al Effects of rhinovirus infection on the adherence of Streptococcus pneumoniae to cultured human airway epithelial cells J Infect Dis 2003 Dec 15；188(12)：1928-39 Epub 2003 Dec 3 【4】 Can you die from a common cold？
by Peter Barlow， The Conversation