When you catch a cold, your immune system jumps into action.
Its first job is to fight the infection.
As you start feeling better, your immune system is still working.
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Its next job is to get your body ready to fight off the virus in the future.
This job is harder than the first because many different viruses can cause colds.
Your body might learn to fight off one, but there are still others that could make you sick.
This article describes what happens in your body when you catch a cold.
It explains how your immune system defends against cold-causing viruses and signs your body is fighting a cold.
It also details how your body works to prevent you from getting sick again.
After they get inside, the cells start to make copies of themselves.
This is called replication.
It takes about two days for the cells to trigger your immune system to start fighting.
They do this by releasing chemical messengers calledcytokines.Your body responds to the cytokines in a few ways.
When the vessels swell, it can make your nose and airway feel stuffy or achy.
The white blood cells also release chemicals to help fight off the virus.
The chemicals can cause these spaces to get inflamed.
Fluid can also collect in them, giving you a runny nose and cough.
Cold viruses do not damage cells the way that influenza viruses do.
This is called sensitization.
These are called antibodies.
Once you get over a cold, some antibodies against the virus stay in your body.
In some cases, that quick response means you won’t get sick again.
Your body’s response sounds like a good plan, but it’s not as simple as it sounds.
There are more than 200 different viruses that cause colds.
Most colds are resulting from rhinoviruses.
This jot down of virus can also causesinus infectionsand ear infections, and eventrigger asthma attacks.
If you’re exposed to the virus again, the antibodies remind your body how to fight it.
Will There Ever Be Vaccine for Colds?
Vaccineswork by exposing your immune system to proteins on viruses and bacteria.
That means your body will start making antibodies without you having to get sick.
The flu, COVID-19, and RSV vaccines only work on viruses.
You might wonder why we don’t have vaccines for colds if they are also resulting from viruses.
Remember: There are more than 200 viruses that cause colds.
A vaccine would have to be made for every single one.
Summary
The common cold is because of one of more than 200 different viruses.
When your body is exposed to a cold-causing virus, it jumps into action to fight off the infection.
Cold viruses don’t damage cells as other viruses do.
Even after you start feeling better, your immune system is still working.
Your body makes proteins called antibodies against the virus that made you sick.
If you get exposed to the virus again, your body will remember how to fight it off.
That said, there are hundreds of viruses that cause colds.
That said, fighting an infection is a lot of work.
Some people get colds more often than other people because their immune systems aren’t as strong.
For example, taking some medications or having certain health conditions can make your immune system weaker.
There are some things that you’re free to do to helpkeep your immune system in fighting shape.
2019;20(1):150. doi:10.1186/s12931-019-1120-0
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Common Cold.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Common Colds: Protect Yourself and Others.
