How to distinguish a viral cold from a cold caused by exposure to cold weather
A cold caused by getting chilled can often present the same symptoms as a viral cold. This type of cold refers to a situation where, after exposure to cold, an individual's immune system becomes weakened, allowing pathogens residing in the respiratory tract to proliferate rapidly and thus cause a cold. In many cases, a cold from getting chilled is also viral in nature. Symptoms commonly seen in individuals with colds may include runny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion, sore throat, coughing, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, and sometimes a mild fever. However, sometimes a cold due to chilling may also lead to infection by other pathogens, such as bacteria, which can present clinically differently from a viral cold. In such cases, patients might not exhibit typical symptoms like clear nasal discharge or sneezing; instead, they might only show nonspecific upper respiratory symptoms. It is also possible for them to experience high fever, obvious sore throat, and swelling of the tonsils, which are signs of acute purulent tonsillitis, a specific type of bacterial cold.
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