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The common cold is diagnosed by the symptom complex the patient is presenting with in the office. So the clinician should recognize the cold. When I examine a child comes in with a cold, it’s important to see what I see in the child’s symptoms, it’s important to see what I don’t see. I shouldn’t be seeing pneumonia. I shouldn’t be seeing a red hyperemic or very red throat or ear infection. Then we’re beyond a cold. But if there’s a positive symptoms, it’s simply a little bit of fever or usually no fever, some clear nasal discharge, a scratchy throat that isn’t red and the child’s looking relatively well and playful, then I would say to the parent, he or she has a cold and just recommend what will make the child comfortable, and give the parents, it’s always nice to give them a heads up about complications that may occur. So I tell them, if his nose is continually running a yellow and green snot, and he has a fever. If the cough is getting worse and worse, come back and see us because then complications may have set in.
