Why do colds always go to my chest?
Well, it happened again. (Cough, cough.) Earlier this month, I went on a trip with my younger son. We divided our time between being in close quarters with a lot of his fellow teenagers and traveling. As might be predicted, by the end our journey, I’d picked up a cold virus.
The cold started with a runny nose and sore throat. But as is so often the case with me, it eventually moved to my lungs, where it’s kept me coughing for a couple of weeks now.
My girlfriend swears that despite frequent colds, this sort of thing hardly ever happens to her. Are some people just more prone to chest colds? And is there anything I can do to protect myself in the future?
Dr. Prescott Prescribes
Ooh, the dreaded summer cold. But, of course, colds are never fun, regardless of the season.
Colds stem from a wide variety of viruses, and the symptoms can vary depending on which one you have. But all colds share a common trait: They cause the cells in your nose, nasal passages and throat to produce mucus to help fight the infection.
Gravity being what it is, the mucus drips down your throat. We swallow or cough out some of it. But the rest makes its way down toward your lungs.
In some people — and you are, apparently, one — the cells in the main passageways into the lungs get irritated by this mucus. These passageways, known as bronchi, become inflamed and produce mucus themselves.
So, just as your body is overcoming the cold virus, the bronchi are getting progressively more irritated. The excess mucus in your lower respiratory tract triggers your cough reflex. That, in turn, spurs additional irritation and inflammation.
Are you getting the picture? This vicious cycle, whose central characteristic is inflammation of the bronchi, is known as bronchitis.
Smoking, allergies to airborne irritants like pollen and dust, and asthma all make a person more prone to bronchitis.
So do repeated bouts of gastric reflux, which can irritate the throat.
Most cases of bronchitis will resolve themselves over time. You’ll want to monitor your symptoms to ensure that you don’t develop a secondary infection, which can lead to pneumonia. If your chest congestion and cough don’t clear up within two to three weeks, or if you develop a fever or notice other symptoms worsening, see a health care provider.
Like all illnesses, your best defense is to try to avoid getting sick in the first place. That means taking precautions to guard against viruses, especially when you travel.
I suspect you know the drill. Wash your hands frequently. Keep your hands out of your eyes, nose and mouth. Get plenty of sleep. Avoid people displaying cold symptoms.
Following this advice won’t help you get better now.
But let’s hope it spares you some future misery.
Prescott, a physician and medical researcher, is president of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. Cohen is a marathoner and OMRF’s senior vice president and general counsel.