Common cold

Guidelines

The following summarized guidelines for the management of common cold are prepared by our editorial team based on guidelines from the American Association of Family Physicians (AAFP 2019), the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP 2017), and the American College of Physicians (ACP/CDC 2016).

1. Medical management

Cold medications

As per AAFP 2019 guidelines, prescribe OTC analgesics and decongestants with or without antihistamines (but not antihistamine alone) in adult patients with symptoms of common cold.
As per ACCP 2017 guidelines, do not prescribe OTC cold medications in adult and pediatric patients with cough due to the common cold, until they have been shown to make cough less severe or resolve sooner.

Cough medications

As per AAFP 2019 guidelines, insufficient evidence to support the use of codeine or other antitussives for the management of cough in adult patients with common cold.
As per ACCP 2017 guidelines:Do not prescribe OTC cough medications in adult and pediatric patients with cough due to the common cold, until they have been shown to make cough less severe or resolve sooner.Avoid prescribing codeine-containing medications in pediatric patients (< 18 years old) with cough due to the common cold, because of the potential for serious side effects including respiratory distress.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

do not prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in adult patients with cough due to the common cold, until they have been shown to make cough less severe or resolve sooner.

Antibiotics

As per AAFP 2019 guidelines, do not use antibiotics for the treatment of patients with common cold.
As per ACP 2016 guidelines, do not use antibiotics in patients with common cold.

2. Nonpharmacologic interventions

Honey

As per AAFP 2019 guidelines, advise using honey in pediatric patients (≥ 1 year old) with common cold.
As per ACCP 2017 guidelines, advise using honey in pediatric patients (1-18 years old) with cough due to the common cold. Recognize that honey may offer more relief for cough symptoms than no treatment, diphenhydramine, or placebo, but it is not better than dextromethorphan.

Saline irrigation

advise performing saline irrigations in pediatric patients (≥ 1 year old) with common cold.

Menthol rub

advise using menthol rub in pediatric patients (≥ 1 year old) with common cold.

3. Preventative measures

Hand hygiene

advise using hand sanitizers or washing hands for the prevention of common cold.

References

1. Katharine C DeGeorge, Daniel J Ring, Sarah N Dalrymple. Treatment of the Common Cold. Am Fam Physician. 2019 Sep 1;100 5 :281-289.

2. Mark A. Malesker, PharmD, FCCP et al. Pharmacologic and Nonpharmacologic Treatment for Acute Cough Associated With the Common Cold. CHEST 2017; 152 5 :1021-1037.

3. Aaron M Harris, Lauri A Hicks, Amir Qaseem et al. Appropriate Antibiotic Use for Acute Respiratory Tract Infection in Adults: Advice for High-Value Care From the American College of Physicians and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ann Intern Med. 2016 Mar 15;164 6 :425-34.

4. No authors listed. The Common Cold. J Midwifery Womens Health. 2019 May;64 3 :359-360.

5. Maria Passioti, Paraskevi Maggina, Spyridon Megremis et al. The common cold: potential for future prevention or cure. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2014 Feb;14 2 :413.