Symptoms of childhood cold and encephalitis

Written by Yan Xin Liang
Pediatrics
Updated on September 05, 2024
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Some common symptoms of encephalitis secondary to a cold in children primarily include fever, usually moderate to high, though some may exhibit low fever. Next, symptoms such as headache, dizziness, primarily around the forehead, crown, or occipital region, may occur. This is followed by vomiting, which is generally more evident after eating or drinking, with some exhibiting persistent vomiting. Additionally, some may experience lethargy, weakness, or even seizures.

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Written by Yao Li Qin
Pediatrics
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What should I do if the baby has a cold and is vomiting milk?

Baby colds accompanied by vomiting of milk indicate that the child has an upper respiratory infection along with gastrointestinal symptoms. A cold can cause poor digestion or stomach discomfort, which might lead to vomiting of milk. First, ensure the child's diet is light and easy to digest. For babies who are formula-fed, you can give them probiotics or gastric protease granules, which can help alleviate gastrointestinal discomfort and are also beneficial for reducing vomiting. Additionally, after each feeding, it's important to hold the baby upright and pat their back to burp them, then hold them a bit longer. When sleeping, place the baby in a right-side lying position with the head of the cot elevated at a 15-degree angle. By managing this way, the vomiting in most children can be alleviated. (Note: The answer is for reference only. For medication, please consult a doctor under the guidance of a professional physician, and do not self-medicate.)

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Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
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Differences between air conditioning cold and common cold

Using air conditioning set too low, or staying in an air-conditioned room for a long time, can easily cause a cold due to the lack of air circulation. When a person's immune function is low, it is easy for viruses or bacteria to invade the respiratory tract, causing symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, fever, headache, and dizziness. In the case of a common cold, it might be a heat-type cold or it could be a cold-type cold. Common colds are usually caused by viral infections of the respiratory tract, leading to clinical symptoms of discomfort. On the other hand, air conditioning colds often occur due to the air conditioning being set too cold, leading to cold-induced symptoms. Thus, there is a distinct difference between air conditioning colds and common colds, with the systemic symptoms caused by air conditioning colds being relatively more severe.

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Written by Li Jian Wu
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How to reduce fever when having a cold?

For treating fever from a cold, clinical practices include several physical cooling methods to alleviate fever symptoms. The simplest method involves using a cool towel or ice pack to compress the forehead. Other methods include wiping the palms, soles of the feet, chest, inner thighs, and inner arms with warm water or alcohol. Soaking feet in Sichuan peppercorn water or drinking more ginger sugar water can also help in physically reducing fever. Additionally, using fever-reducing patches and increasing water intake can promote metabolism.

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Written by Long Guan Han
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What should I do if my cold doesn't get better?

The common cold generally follows a process. Eighty percent of common colds start as viral colds, characterized by nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and other catarrhal symptoms. Generally, after three to five days, these catarrhal symptoms gradually disappear, as the virus is self-limiting. If the symptoms do not improve after three to five days and are accompanied by coughing, purulent sputum, and fever, it may have progressed to a bacterial cold, which requires antibiotic treatment. When we commonly refer to a persistent cold, we mainly refer to a cough. Some people might experience a cold for more than ten days, or repeatedly suffer from a dry cough. At this time, it's not that their cold hasn't healed; rather, it's because the respiratory tract has been damaged and needs time to recover. Typically, this kind of irritating dry cough without sputum generally lasts for a while.

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Changes in cold symptoms

The symptoms and changes of a cold are primarily determined by the infecting virus. Clinically, it is mainly divided into the common cold and influenza. The common cold is mainly caused by infections of rhinovirus, adenovirus, and pharyngovirus, leading to symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing, coughing, and sore throat. The other type of cold refers to influenza, which is caused by influenza virus or parainfluenza virus infections, primarily manifested by muscle soreness in the limbs, fatigue, sore throat, and compared to the common cold, the ear, nose, and throat symptoms are relatively mild.