Common Cold – an Umbrella Term for Acute Infections of Nose, Throat, Larynx and Bronchi

Abstract

Acute respiratory tract infections, i. e. rhinitis, sinusitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis, bronchitis, belong to the most common medical conditions with a high economic burden. Nonetheless, there is little agreement concerning their differential diagnosis.This paper will discuss to what extent different anatomical sites of acute respiratory tract infections can be uniquely identified or whether the overlap and consecutive development in signs and symptoms renders these distinctions meaningless.Acute respiratory tract infections are variable but definition of diagnostic categories based on the anatomical sites of the dominant complaints shows that signs and symptoms both overlap to a great extent and/or emerge successively. Thus, in common cold distinguishing between acute symptom-based diagnoses arising from different anatomical sites of the aerodigestive system remains elusive. Therefore, preferred symptomatic treatments should foster a resolution of all possible symptoms as opposed to an isolated treatment of a single symptom (e. g. mucus hypersecretion) according to the presumed anatomical site (i. e. acute bronchitis).

Peaks in online inquiries into pharyngitis-related symptoms correspond with annual incidence rates

“…Besides common pharyngitis symptoms such as sore throat, cough and fever [ 1 , 2 ], we also included other search terms during the analysis. Common cold is an often-used umbrella term for acute infections of the upper respiratory tract including acute pharyngitis [ 32 ]. Similarly, incidence peaks for these medical conditions occur mostly during the winter months [ 33 ].…”

Global burden of upper respiratory infections in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2019

“…URIs are mainly caused by viruses, including rhinovirus, coronavirus, respiratory syncytial virus and so on [7] , [8] , [9] . Following virus infections, bacterial colonization may occur in some cases, which aggravates the disease and leads to prolonged recovery [ 9 , 10 ].…”

Viral Infections of the Respiratory Tract

“…Viral infections of the respiratory tract are also common in all age groups and are the leading cause of mortality in children under 5 years of age in developing countries [2]. They pose a significant symptom burden for individuals and a high financial burden to societymostly due to loss of productivity, healthcare costs, and school absenteeism [3]. Advances in diagnostic testing and improved ability to detect pathogens have demonstrated that viral pathogens are important causal pathogens of respiratory tract infection even in immunocompetent patients.…”

“…Additionally, viral respiratory infections play an important role as a trigger for exacerbations of chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) [3].…”