Causes of colds without fever
There are two etiologies of colds without fever:
- weakened body
- the disease is not caused by a virus
The infection that causes colds enters the body through airborne droplets. The entrance gate is the human nasal cavity, which has a protective secretion.
When the virus penetrates the mucous membrane, the secretion releases its weapon - an abundant secretion of serous fluid begins. The inner lining swells, closing the spaces of the nasal passages. To protect against the virus, it releases secretions abundantly. Here's a runny nose, nasal congestion.
If the body is weakened, barrier functions are impaired, the process can occur without fever.
In the second case, a cold occurs from severe hypothermia. Vessels constrict due to cold. Pathogenic microbes penetrate freely and multiply vigorously. Rhinitis appears as a response to the invasion. There may not be any heat.
A severe runny nose, a runny nose without a fever, can occur with:
- allergies
- various chronic diseases
- rhinopharyngitis
- foreign objects in the nasopharyngeal area
Pharyngitis and nasopharyngitis develop in a person when he lives for a long time in a polluted, smoky area. Their symptoms are similar and occur without fever. A distinctive feature is the dryness of the posterior wall of the larynx.
Any cold without fever should be treated carefully. Always consult a doctor.
Only a doctor can determine the true cause, refer for additional examinations, and prescribe the correct course of treatment for the disease.
What are the symptoms of the disease?
The disease always begins with malaise, sore throat, coughing, and difficulty breathing.
Then a migraine begins, rhinitis, and a stuffy nose. Then weakness, aches throughout the body, loss of appetite, tendency to sleep, loss of interest in the surroundings.
Head pain is localized in different places:
- Temple area
- occipital
- frontal part
- brow ridges
- bridge of the nose
The first two days, the discharge from the nasal cavity is clear.
On the third or fourth day the patient begins to cough. First dry, then switches to wet. When you cough, mucus and phlegm come out.
The fluid from the nose changes color, becomes opaque and even green. May cause blocked ears.
Usually, with no fever, the headache lasts for about 3 to 4 days. If there are no complications, then by 7–8 days the crusts in the nasal cavity begin to dry out, and the person stops coughing. By the end of the second week, the patient fully recovers.
Colds without fever: what to drink and how to treat a runny nose
Is fever a mandatory symptom of influenza? This is a question that interests many patients. You can often hear from colleagues, acquaintances or relatives: “I always get sick without a fever.”
This does not mean chronic diseases, but seasonal colds. Is this possible and why does the disease sometimes occur without fever?
The flu is a rather insidious disease, fraught with numerous complications, so at the first symptoms you need to start treating it. If treatment is delayed, you will have to spend much more time and money to get rid of the disease.
The fact that the temperature has not increased does not mean that the disease is not developing and its other manifestations can be ignored.
Flu has become a very common disease lately, so almost everyone can immediately recognize its symptoms. If weakness, cough, runny nose occurs, but the temperature does not rise, the patient, as a rule, diagnoses himself with a cold.
However, the upper respiratory tract can also be affected by a virus - it is not so easy to treat.
Why does illness occur without fever?
For what reason does a cold without fever occur most often in the cold season? The answer is simple. Some people believe that the flu virus is seasonal. This is not entirely true. At low temperatures, blood vessels narrow and metabolic processes slow down slightly.
Mucus, which is the natural protection of the nasopharynx from contact with microorganisms, is produced in smaller quantities. The nasopharynx becomes vulnerable, and therefore the person begins to get sick.
The hypothalamus is responsible for producing antibodies if a virus enters the body. At the same time, the body temperature always rises.
If this does not happen, it means that the hypothalamus was not involved and the body copes with the disease on its own. Of course he needs help.
But in this case it is not necessary to use potent medications - folk remedies that strengthen the immune system are sufficient.
Symptoms of a cold without fever
The incubation period lasts no more than three days. Then the person begins to feel discomfort in the nasopharynx. Coughing, sneezing, and runny nose occur. The temperature does not always rise. Typical flu symptoms:
- Watery nasal discharge, which after a few days becomes thicker and takes on a greenish tint4
- Sore throat;
- The cough is dry at first, turning into a wet cough after two or three days.
Colds without fever can also occur during pregnancy. Colds without fever are much less common in young children. The child’s body is not yet fully formed, his immune system is not as strong as that of adults, so the virus usually manifests itself acutely, with all the accompanying symptoms.
If a child does not have a fever, but has a cough or runny nose, be sure to consult a doctor and begin treatment to prevent a common cold from developing into bronchitis, laryngitis or sinusitis.
In most cases, the cause of illness is the influenza virus; it is not difficult to diagnose it, even if there is no fever.
How to treat a virus
If you have a cold without fever, there is no point in taking antibiotics - viruses are resistant to medications in this group. It is better to drink tea with lemon, honey, ginger or raspberries. Treatment is carried out mainly with folk remedies, rather than with medications.
How to treat a cold without fever
Despite the fact that there is no fever, the patient is offered semi-bed rest. A sick body needs rest. He may be tired of noise, working at a computer, watching television, or reading.
Fresh air is needed. Therefore, the room where it is located is ventilated and wet cleaned.
Treatment begins with already well-proven traditional methods. First, be sure to take hot foot baths with mustard. After the bath, put on woolen socks. Instead of baths, you can rub your feet with camphor alcohol or turpentine.
Drink plenty of fluids. Maybe tea with raspberries, linden, lemon, viburnum, cranberries, currants. Possibly alkaline drinking. They give warm milk with honey and butter. The neck is tied with a warm scarf.
Since there is no fever, medications containing paracetamol are not needed. To relieve headaches, you can apply a compress soaked in herbal decoctions, such as oak bark. Or apply gauze soaked in vinegar and water. It’s good to massage individual parts of the head and lubricate with “Star” balm.
Analgesics for migraines without fever should be taken in the most extreme cases.
You need to gargle with decoctions of chamomile, calendula, eucalyptus, and chlorophyllipt solution. It is suggested to use sea salt or make a solution of soda and salt with a few drops of iodine. The washes were positively recommended. They are aimed at flushing out bacteria from the nasal passages. At the same time, blood circulation improves and swelling disappears.
It is advisable to make them with drugs purchased at the pharmacy, specifically for washing.
Among the pharmacies we can highlight:
- Chlorhexidine
- Miramistin
- Dolphin
Many of them have special caps, which is very convenient for use.
There is a group of products based on sea water:
- AquaMaris
- Aqualor
Any rinsing must be prescribed by a doctor, as sometimes they are contraindicated. For example, with nosebleeds or with concomitant otitis media. Vasoconstrictor drops Naphthyzin, Sanorin are instilled, and best of all, freshly squeezed carrot or beet juice.
It is very good to do soda or oil inhalations.
Thus, colds without fever are treated with traditional methods.
Runny nose and sneezing without fever in an adult: how to treat?
Although most often a runny nose develops as a result of a cold, constant sneezing and nasal discharge can also appear as independent symptoms. If you do not suffer from general weakness, do not feel chills or fever, and all the symptoms boil down to rhinitis, then you need to treat it first of all. In this case, several rules must be followed:
- Be careful when choosing medications if you are pregnant. For pregnant women, a runny nose in the second trimester of pregnancy is a natural, albeit unpleasant, reaction of the body to changes occurring. Consult your doctor before trying new medications: Many popular medications contain active ingredients that may inhibit the development of the fetus in the womb.
- While treatment is ongoing, do not try to hold in your sneeze. It makes sense to hold back when coughing due to a cold, so as not to irritate your throat again. But sneezing is a basic reflex of the body that detects foreign particles in the respiratory tract. Even if you hold it in, after a few seconds you will want to sneeze again. But the most unpleasant thing is that when sneezing is delayed, dust particles, allergens or pathogens get even deeper into the nasal cavity. They are pushed by a powerful stream of air, which, unable to discharge, rushes in the opposite direction. From a powerful shock, pollution can reach the middle ear, which leads to the development of otitis media.
- Use disposable paper tissues or napkins. Cloth handkerchiefs accumulate pathogens, so even if a runny nose is not caused by an infection, after using such a handkerchief you can easily catch a cold.
- Perform rinses every day. Rinsing is the main method of treating a runny nose without cold complications. A simple procedure does not require purchased products, it perfectly cleanses the mucous membranes of residual secretions and relieves swelling of the nasal cavities, restoring breathing through the nose.
The main method of treating a runny nose not complicated by high fever is to rinse the nasopharynx at home with saline solution. Salt helps clear dried mucus from the sinuses, softens crusts and flushes irritating particles from the nose. The solution has a mild anti-inflammatory effect. Start rinsing from the first day when you notice sneezing and runny nose without fever. Doctors recommend this same remedy to prevent colds. If you feel that you might have caught a runny nose at work or on public transport, rinse your nose 1-2 times a day. The infection will not have time to spread throughout the body, and the disease will be limited to superficial manifestations in the form of a runny nose and sneezing.
Many people experience a non-infectious runny nose only in the first half of the day. If you suffer from sneezing and a runny nose without fever for a couple of hours after you leave bed, morning rinsing will be sufficient for treatment. Make it a habit to start your day by cleansing each nostril with a saline solution. Do this along with washing your face, before brushing your teeth. The procedure normalizes the activity of the mucous membrane and stimulates the work of the epithelial cilia, forcing them to independently cope with cleansing the nasal sinuses.
In addition to the usual saline solution, you can use the following for treatment:
- Aqualor and other sea salt-based washing liquids. Purified sea salt is safe for the body and provides a lasting effect. Sea salt solutions are prescribed if a person has had a runny nose for more than several months, but they can also be used in the first weeks of illness.
- Herbal decoctions and tinctures. Natural components can soothe inflamed tissues, stimulate local immunity, disinfect and even relieve itching in the nose. The herbal mixture is selected taking into account individual sensitivity to potentially allergenic components.
- Solutions of iodine or potassium permanganate. They not only relieve swelling and wash away discharge, but also disinfect. If you have a runny nose without temperature changes, but you feel like you're about to start getting sick, try antibacterial rinses.
All components for rinsing can be purchased at the pharmacy without a prescription. Attention: properly performed rinsing always relieves the feeling of itching and scabies in the nose. If after the procedure your nose itches even more, you sneeze more, fluid is released profusely, or you are allergic to one or more components of the rinse.
Headache, cough, runny nose without fever - what medications can be taken
Complaints that plague you during a cold must be stopped. To do this, use for headaches: Paracetamol, Nurofen, for a runny nose add: Nazivin, Otrivin, Tizin.
Rhinitis without fever is treated:
- vasoconstrictors: Naphthyzin, Sanorin, Galazolin
- anti-inflammatory: Fervex, Coldrex, Rinza, Coldact
- antiviral: Anaferon, Arbidol, Cycloferon, Imunoflazid
Used against cough:
- Lazolvan
- Libexin
- Ambroxol
- Flavamed
- Ambrobene
- syrups Althea, Pertusina
For the throat, the following will be effective:
- Kameton
- Ingalipt
- Camphomenes
You can gargle with herbs:
- St. John's wort
- Calendula
- Sage
- Eucalyptus
- and soda
There are a lot of medications that are prescribed for cough, runny nose and headache without fever. Therefore, there are special ratings that determine which one is in the lead.
The most valued drugs are those produced by Swiss, American, and German companies. Leadership is constantly changing as each makes a breakthrough in a specific area.
Among the leading pharmaceutical companies are:
- Marbiopharm – Russia
- Krka – Slovenia
- Pharmstandard - Russia.
Among the most popular medications taken for colds are:
- Amiksin
- Anvimax
- Kagocel
- Ingavirin
- Anaferon
Very often doctors recommend:
- Cycloferon, Amiksin capsules
- Nurofen Express in tablets and suspensions
- Arbidol in suspension
- Aspirin complex effervescent
- Septolete - antiseptic in GrippoFlu lozenges with raspberry and cranberry flavors
It is important to remember that they are all expensive, so if there is no fever, then it is better to use folk remedies.
