The cause and cure of colds (1910)

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Colds result in untold inconvenience, in that they often seriously interfere with the fulfilment of business, professional, and social engagements.

The catching of a cold is liable to interfere with both the small social gathering and the large public meeting. A public lecturer is not only prevented from delivering his message as the result of catching a cold, but the humble citizen is also prevented from hearing it; for one who is suffering from a cold in the head seldom desires to attend either private social functions or public lectures.

But this indisposition is hardly to be regarded as an unmixed curse. Sufferers from a severe cold should go to bed. It is for their good as well as the good of the community, that colds should be more or less quarantined, for, in the last analysis, most colds are infectious maladies. While this volume is based largely upon the author's Chautauqua lecture, "Catching and Curing a Cold," much of the matter found in Chapters IV, V, and VI was originally prepared for "The Designer," and our thanks are due the editor for his courteous permission to publish this matter in permanent form.

It is the sincere desire of the author that this little work shall contribute something toward a sensible understanding of the cause of colds, aid in their prevention, and materially assist in their successful management and treatment in accordance with rational rules and scientific principles. Bookmark this page at: Search Options Search within this document: The cause and cure of colds. The cause and cure of colds Author: Information from Who's Who in America.

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The Cause and Cure of Colds. Finally, we included additional trials, obtained additional data from study authors and corrected data that had been incorrectly extracted from one trial. We also included two additional trials that had previously been excluded because they were not considered to be randomized trials. These two trials may have influenced the outcome, because they showed no effect.

The limitations of our review predominantly relate to the large heterogeneity that remained unexplained despite exploration of several subgroups a priori and the quality of reported summary data. Assumptions were made to calculate the means and standard deviations of several trial estimates, and all studies were industry funded. Although the trials reported double blinding, ineffective blinding related to taste of the placebo may have contributed to bias. Finally, the majority of trials were conducted in developed countries. We found moderate quality of evidence to suggest that orally administered zinc reduces the duration of symptoms of the common cold.

However, the evidence of benefit was limited to adults, and even in this patient group, uncertainty remained about its clinical benefit.

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Although oral zinc treatment may attenuate the symptoms of the common cold, large high-quality trials enrolling adults and children are needed. Future trials should be designed to maximize the tolerable doses of bioavailable zinc with a balanced consideration toward potential dose-related adverse effects. Until further evidence becomes available, there is only a weak rationale for physicians to recommend zinc for the treatment of the common cold. The questionable benefits must be balanced against the potential adverse effects.

The authors thank Elizabeth Uleryk for providing invaluable feedback on the literature search. They also thank Drs. Mossad and Michael Macknin for responding with additional study data. This article has been peer reviewed. Michelle Science and Jennie Johnstone reviewed the titles and abstracts, selected studies for full-text review, reviewed the papers for inclusion, and extracted data. Michelle Science analyzed the data and drafted the manuscript.

All authors interpreted the data, reviewed the draft and approved the final version for publication. There was no dedicated funding to support this study. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. Methods Eligibility criteria We included studies if they were randomized controlled trials; involved patients of any age with the common cold; and compared oral zinc treatment started within three days of symptoms with placebo or no intervention.

Data extraction Two reviewers J. Assessment of risk of bias The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was used to assess the risk of bias in included trials. Statistical analysis Means and standard deviations were collected for the continuous outcomes. Sensitivity analysis Given the potential differences between naturally acquired and experimentally induced colds, we performed a sensitivity analysis in which we excluded trials with induced colds. Results We screened the titles and abstracts of unique records identified through our literature search.

Open in a separate window. Study characteristics Seventeen trials involving patients ranging from 1 to 65 years of age were included Table 1. Characteristics of randomized controlled trials included in the qualitative analysis. Study Country n Study period Population Type of cold Zinc formulation, dosage Duration of symptoms before treatment, h Duration of treatment Duration of follow-up Definition of symptom resolution Funding Al-Nakib et al. Risk-of-bias review of included studies. Study Random sequence generation selection bias Allocation concealment selection bias Blinding performance bias and detection bias Incomplete outcome data attrition bias Selective reporting reporting bias Other bias Al-Nakib et al.

Blinding was adequate in all trials. Two trials had unclear allocation concealment.

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Age, ionic zinc dose and zinc formulation partially accounted for between-study variation. Cumulative sample size was appropriate. Total sample size Five trials had significant design limitations all had incomplete outcome data, unclear allocation concealment and did not report the method of randomization. Six trials had significant design limitations.

Allocation concealment and method of randomization were unclear in all but one of the six. One trial had serious design limitations.

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It also had unclear allocation concealment and did not report the method of randomization. Five trials had serious design problems. Sensitivity analysis excluding these trials did not change the results, so the evidence was not downgraded. Estimated range of adverse events from 19 more to more per versus placebo. Two trials had serious design limitations. Three trials had significant design concerns. The method of randomization was not reported in two trials.

Sensitivity analysis excluding the trials with high risk of bias did not change the results, so the evidence was not downgraded.

Cold Treatment, Causes, Remedies & Symptoms

Estimated range of nausea events from 19 more to more per versus placebo. Duration of symptoms Thirteen trials reported on the duration of cold symptoms. Severity of symptoms Sixteen trials reported on the severity of symptoms, but only four trials reported the data in such a way that they could be combined in the meta-analysis.

Presence of symptoms at three and seven days Eight trials involving patients reported the proportion of patients who were symptomatic after three days; no difference between the zinc and placebo groups was found risk ratio [RR] 0. Adverse events Nine trials involving patients found that the proportion of patients with any adverse events was higher in the zinc group than in the placebo group RR 1. Sensitivity analysis When we excluded the two trials in which colds were experimentally induced, 24 , 29 we found no significant change in the number of symptomatic participants at three days and seven days, or in the incidence of any adverse events and nausea.

Interpretation We found that orally administered zinc shortened the duration of cold symptoms. Conclusion We found moderate quality of evidence to suggest that orally administered zinc reduces the duration of symptoms of the common cold. Supplementary Material Online Appendices: Click here to view. Acknowledgements The authors thank Elizabeth Uleryk for providing invaluable feedback on the literature search. National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: Vital Health Stat 13 ; Rhinovirus infections in an industrial population.

The occurrence of illness. N Engl J Med ; Acute respiratory illness in an American community. The treatment of rhinovirus infections: Antiviral Res ; Allergic rhinitis and the common cold — high cost to society. Burden of upper respiratory illnesses among college and university students: Productivity losses related to the common cold.

J Occup Environ Med ; Antimicrob Agents Chemother ; Although there are some publications on these compounds, many clinicians consider the results inconclusive. Others suggest if the compounds are not used to excess, they may be helpful. Studies in suggested zinc may reduce symptoms by about one to two days but may produce a metallic taste or cause hearing difficulties. Some doctors suggest that the side effects are not worth the one to two days of reduced or absent symptoms.

Check with your physician before using these treatments. Follow-up for a Cold. Is It Possible to Prevent a Cold? What Is the Prognosis of a Cold? The common cold usually will go away in usually about five to 10 days although some symptoms may last as long as three weeks in some individuals. Americans get over 1 billion colds per year and rarely report any complications. In general, pregnant women and their fetus usually have no complications if the mother develops a cold.

Among the elderly and other groups of people with serious medical conditions, a cold may sometimes lead to a serious problem. Those people should see a doctor early during the course of a cold as a preventive measure. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Protect Yourself and Others. Do Flu Shots Cause Flu? Is It a Cold or The Flu? Readers Comments 1 Share Your Story.

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Common Cold - Symptoms What symptoms did you experience with your cold?

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