Often you can hear from people: "Very often I get colds, what should I do?" Indeed, statistics confirm that there are more and more people with similar complaints. If a person has a cold no more than six times a year, then this can be considered the norm. If this happens more often, then it is necessary to find out the reason.
A constant condition of a cold can occur against the background of uncontrolled intake of antibacterial agents, self-medication and neglect of one’s health.
Terminology
To understand why you often have colds, you need to deal with the terms. Most often, a diagnosis of acute respiratory infections is made. The word "respiratory" in the abbreviation means that the inflammatory process occurs in the respiratory system. And this is not only the throat, but also the nose, pharynx, larynx, bronchi and alveoli of the lungs.
The diagnosis of acute respiratory viral infections is only a type of acute respiratory infections. In both cases, the cause of the inflammatory process is viruses that enter the body by airborne droplets or other household routes.
Most often, the diagnosis of acute respiratory viral infections is made in cases where (in addition to the common cold and sore throat) a dry cough appears, but without any deviations (wheezing) in the pulmonary system.
In a separate category of acute respiratory infections, flu is isolated. The disease proceeds in a more severe form, and there is a high risk of complications. For flu, a slightly different development of pathology is also characteristic. At first, severe intoxication of the body with an increase in body temperature is observed, and only then catarrhal signs appear: inflammation of the mucous membranes.
Formally, pneumonia is also a type of acute respiratory infections, but still it is a separate type of disease, which is most often a respiratory complication.
The common term "cold" is only the popular name for acute respiratory infections.
But the most important thing that unites all these diseases is two ways of infection. Either the infection enters the body by airborne droplets, or under the influence of cold immunity is reduced and the viruses that are in the body are activated.
The first step to health
If you are concerned about the question of why you often get sick with colds, it is recommended to make an immunogram. This procedure allows you to determine whether the whole cause of the virus or whether in the body develops another pathological process that is not associated with acute respiratory infections.
What else to take tests?
The standard set of examinations includes:
- analysis of urine and blood (general clinical and biochemical);
- analysis of the immune and interferon status;
- analysis for infections: streptococci, mycoplasmas and staphylococci;
- You should also check for allergens.
All these examinations will help to find out the reason why people often get colds.
It will not be superfluous to conduct an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity, to examine the liver, because it contains enzymes and proteins that stimulate the formation of cells of the immune system. It is also recommended to examine the gall bladder and ducts, there should not be constrictions.
Most common causes
If a cold occurs 2 or 3 times a year, then this is not a cause for concern. If ARI happens more than six times a year, then this is a cause for concern.
In most cases, complaints that often suffer from colds can be heard from urban residents. This is due to the fact that people in cities are socially active, and poor ecology weakens the immune forces.
Against the background of pregnancy, a cold often appears. This is due to the same weakening of the immune system.
Psychosomatics
Recently, doctors have been sounding the alarm: ARI in many people appears against the backdrop of psychosomatic problems. Constant fatigue, dissatisfaction with life, I just want to turn off the phone and lie in bed. Most likely, each person has encountered such a condition. And then there’s a cold, but you still have to go to work or study.
It may seem that there is no connection between fatigue and seasonality of acute respiratory infections. In fact, the connection is direct. In autumn, the body is weakened after holidays and vacations, there is a constant lack of vitamins, and even periodic cooling. Almost the same thing happens in the spring: after a long and cold winter.
It is also believed that the activation of colds is associated with a decrease in daylight hours. It is in the fall that depression and longing begin, the body becomes more susceptible to viral infections.
Although not all doctors support these statements, it is impossible to deny the fact that with a stable emotional state a person is less sick.
Other psychological issues
Hay L., founder of the self-help movement, explains in his own way the reasons why people often get colds. He believes that everything is to blame for the negative attitude to the world around him. A person who is in a state of hidden aggression, in fear, becomes too susceptible to viruses due to the fact that the body is in constant stress.
And there are people who inspire themselves that they have weak immunity and must definitely get sick during the season of exacerbation of seasonal epidemics.
How to prevent a cold?
If a person often suffers from colds, then the first thing he should do with the first symptoms of acute respiratory infections is to go to bed and drink more warm liquid. It is necessary to avoid drafts and avoid hypothermia.
It should be understood that there is no drug that would allow recovery. The healing process is completely dependent on the conditions that a sick person creates for his body. The more comfortable and favorable they are, the faster the fight against infections will occur and the risk of complications will decrease.
During a seasonal epidemic of colds, it is better to avoid crowded places, such as cinemas and concert halls. It is best to stay away from people who do not hide when sneezing or coughing.
Vaccination does not give proper results. First, the vaccine provides only protection against the influenza virus. Secondly, the flu virus constantly mutates, and it is rather difficult to guess which one will be in a particular season. Although people who do not neglect vaccination are still less likely to have ARI, nobody is safe from the common cold.
Another recommendation is to avoid places where there were previously cold people. In light of this, it is recommended to visit medical facilities less in the autumn and spring season.
People who have problems with the heart muscle and pulmonary system should be especially careful. It is they who most often have serious complications after a cold.
What to do if you often have colds? Try not to touch the eyes and nose, generally the face, when your hands are dirty. Hands can not even be washed with soap, but simply rinsed under water, viruses do not die in this situation, but are washed off well. Do I need to use disinfectants? Some experts argue that such tools do not allow you to get sick, others say that they are ineffective. It should be understood that no remedy is completely capable of killing all bacteria.
A rather controversial statement is that if you breathe with your mouth near a sick person, then rotovirus infections will not penetrate into a healthy body. No studies have been conducted on this subject, therefore, this statement is only an assumption, although it is reliably known that it is in the nose that there are membranes that prevent the penetration of bacteria into the body.
Other risks
In order to recover faster and not infect others, it is recommended to use paper napkins. Bacteria remain on the tissue for a long time, that is, a cloth scarf is a source of infection.
If you often get sick with colds, the cause may be a kiss. He plays, one might say, the last role in the development of the common cold. Rotovirus infections through the mouth are likely to be swallowed and die in the stomach. However, adenoviruses can enter the body through a kiss, but no studies have been conducted on this score either, so there are no reliable data on this score.
What is better to refuse?
If you often became ill with colds, it is better to reconsider your lifestyle. Some daily habits can greatly weaken the immune system. Smoke from tobacco strongly irritates the cilia of the nasal cavity, which are a natural barrier to viruses.
ARI is a household-transmitted disease, in the light of this the habit of biting your nails is a direct way to the appearance of a cold.
Do not go to work in a cold condition. It is difficult to adhere to this rule, but few people know that a person is contagious before the first manifestations of the symptoms of a cold for 24-48 hours. After the disease has manifested, a person is still a carrier of the virus for another 7 days.
Self-medication is the scourge of modern man. Especially when it comes to antibacterial agents. If a doctor once prescribed a medicine, this does not mean at all that you should drink it with the first symptoms of a cold. You should know that antibiotics reduce immunity.
Do you often get colds? And remember how you dress in the winter, whether you wear a hat. It is clear that a cold does not appear due to hypothermia, but cold is a provoking factor for the development of viruses, so the likelihood of getting ARI increases by more than 50%.
Parents should not make a greenhouse out of a child, wrap it up strongly and be afraid to open windows. With age, the baby’s immune system will be unable to resist colds.
Often the occurrence of acute respiratory infections is more frequent if a person is malnourished. This applies to everyone who is on a diet. The same can be said of lack of sleep, sleep less than seven hours a day seriously increases the risk of frequent colds.
Preventive actions
If an adult often suffers from colds, then you should start by accustoming yourself to regular hand washing. If an epidemic sets in, then you can use the mask, but on condition that it changes every 2 hours.
The following drugs can be distinguished from immunomodulators:
- Vitamin C. Despite a lot of controversy about the relationship between the common cold and vitamin C, it is still recommended to consume 500 mg daily.
- Echinacea tincture, a fairly popular remedy throughout the world.
- Interferons. Preparations of this group prevent the reproduction of viruses more and are a prophylactic; therefore, they are also used to treat acute respiratory infections.
Vitamins and Minerals
Studies have proven that vitamin A can reduce the risk of developing viruses in the body. Vitamin B2 also improves the body's resistance to infectious diseases. In moderate doses, vitamin B6 can increase the ability of lymphocytes to resist infections. From mineral supplements, zinc can be distinguished, which normalizes the function of immune cells.
Finally
You can understand that there are problems with the immune system by the simplest signs: if fatigue and drowsiness appear, irritability and nervousness are constantly observed. Problems with the skin and gastrointestinal tract, exacerbation of chronic pathologies - all these are symptoms of a decrease in immunity.
Try to give up bad habits, smoking and alcohol. Do not be constantly nervous and watch your diet.