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Cold symptoms tend to appear about one to three days after the virus enters a person’s body. A cold usually lasts for about a week before clearing, although some colds may persist for longer periods of time.

Cold symptoms include:

• Congestion
• Cough
• Mild headache
• Minor aches
• Stuffy or runny nose
• Scratchy throat
• Sneezing
• Watery eyes
• Weakened sense of taste and smell

Nasal discharge may become thicker and change color (e.g., to yellow or green) as the cold runs its course. In some cases, a low fever may also develop, particularly in infants and young children. However, unlike the flu, colds do not usually leave a person feeling fatigued.

It is often very difficult to identify whether a person has a cold or the flu based on symptoms alone. The National Institutes of Health has established a list of the symptoms that may help distinguish between the two conditions. These symptoms are:

Cold symptoms may be more severe among certain groups of people. For example, smokers are more likely to have more significant symptoms than nonsmokers. People with asthma, chronic bronchitis or emphysema (lung disease in which the air sacs are damaged) may notice that symptoms related to these conditions are worsened for weeks following a cold.

A cold infection also leaves the body vulnerable to other types of infections. These include bronchitis, ear infections and sinus infections. In addition, cold symptoms that last for more than one week may actually indicate the presence of a more serious illness, such as influenza or pneumonia.

People are urged to contact a physician if they experience abnormally severe cold symptoms or any of the following:

• Coughing that worsens even after other symptoms improve
  
  
• Ear pain
  
  
• High fever of at least 102 degrees Fahrenheit (38.9 degrees Celsius)
  
  
• Sinus headache
  
  
• Worsening of any pre-existing chronic lung problem