How Rhinoviruses are related to common cold?

The common cold is a well-known self-limiting disease. A lot of people experience this illness at least once in a year, particularly in the fall and spring seasons. Although the symptoms and treatments of common cold are known to everyone, the mechanism of the illness is still a mystery.

Cold Viruses
The event of a viral infection to the upper respiratory tract is generally regarded as “common cold”. The virus responsible for this is called rhinovirus and there are 100 subspecies of this virus. Apart from that, other types of virus such as adenovirus, coronavirus and the influenza virus are also responsible for common cold.

When aerosol droplets are inhaled, it enters the upper respiratory tract and comes into contact with the epithelial lining. This triggers the immune system to respond accordingly causing the local blood vessels to widen up, and also causing the glands under the respiratory epithelium to increase fluid secretion. Eventually, as a result of this pathophysiologic process, symptoms of common cold are seen to develop.

Cold Symptoms
One of the first symptoms of common cold is a sore throat, which is experienced by most individuals roughly one to three days after the virus has been inoculated. Follow up symptoms over the next few days are nasal congestion, running nose and sneezing.