If a cold’s got a hold on you, blame your nose

MOST of us tend to be walloped by the common cold at least once or twice a year.

But the annoying thing is some of us feel the blow worse than others.

Somehow people around you bounce back more quickly or avoid it entirely, while you feel like you’re on death row.

It makes no sense! Right? Well actually, it might.

According to a new study, there might be a scientific reason why you might suffer more than your significant other, colleague or friend. And it all comes down to bacteria.

Researchers at the University of Virginia have investigated how the bacteria in your nose can correspond with the severity of your cold symptoms.

They found people whose noses contain more staphylococcus bacteria are more likely to have more acute cold symptoms than those whose noses contain less.

The organisms living inside your nose can exacerbate your symptoms by affecting how much of the virus you can expel, according to the study published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Dr Ronald Turner, a paediatric infectious disease specialist who spearheaded the research, said there were effects on virus load and how much virus was shed in nasal secretions.

“The background microbiome, the background bacterial pattern in your nose, had influences on the way that you reacted to the virus and how sick you got,” Dr Turner said.

However, researchers also noted other factors could also play a part.