1. Understanding COPD Slideshow
2. COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) Quiz
3. Energy Foods for COPD Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

Dr. Ben Wedro practices emergency medicine at Gundersen Clinic, a regional trauma center in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His background includes undergraduate and medical studies at the University of Alberta, a Family Practice internship at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and residency training in Emergency Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

View Full Profile

Medical Editor:

Mary Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP

Mary Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP

Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP is the Chair of the Department of Medicine at Michigan State University. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt Medical School, and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Indiana University.

View Full Profile

Symptoms of the common cold may include:

• stuffiness (nasal congestion), runny nose, low grade fever, post-nasal drip, and cough;
  
  
  • the cough is usually dry (no sputum form the lung is being produced);
    
    
  • with post-nasal drip, the cough may bring up some of the nasal secretions that have dripped into the back of the throat; and
    
    
• sinusitis symptoms such as fullness in the face, increased nasal drainage, and occasionally pain and fever;

In some infants and children, the upper airways may become inflamed causing croup (laryngotracheobronchitis, acute LTB). In addition to runny nose and stuffiness, the upper airways, especially the larynx can become inflamed causing a croupy or "barking cough."

Must Read Articles Related to Upper Respiratory Infection

Bronchitis Bronchitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the air passages in the lungs. There are several viruses and bacteria that cause bronchitis. Exposure to pollutan...learn more >>

Colds The cold is the most commonly occurring illness in the entire world, with more than 1 billion colds per year reported in the United States alone. Symptoms and s...learn more >>

Coughs A cough is a symptom of an underlying disease or condition. A chronic or persistent cough may signal certain lung conditions that should be evaluated by a healt...learn more >>

See the Entire Upper Respiratory Infection Topic Guide »