Colds from the air conditioner

Colds from air conditioning are quite common, especially in the summer, when you want to somehow escape the heat outside.

The course of such a cold is very similar to a common viral cold, but it has its own characteristics. We cannot say that an air conditioner is very harmful and cannot be used, but the main thing here is to be aware of how to use an air conditioner correctly so as not to harm your health and well-being.

Causes of colds from air conditioners

A cold from an air conditioner most often occurs due to hypothermia, primarily people with weakened immunity or people with chronic diseases suffer from this type of cold. Hypothermia occurs due to a sharp change in room temperature and the external environment. Also, a cold can be caused by the wrong location of the air conditioner in the room, when the air conditioner is close to a person. In addition, the air stream cannot be directed directly at yourself, as this will be equivalent to being in a draft.

No less common is a cold from a car air conditioner, since in the summer the car usually heats up to very high temperatures, thereby causing great discomfort for the driver. Therefore, drivers very often turn on car air conditioners at full power, directing a stream of cold air directly at themselves, thereby they risk getting a cold due to a sharp hypothermia of the body.

Separately, I would also like to recall such a disease as legionellosis (or "Legionnaires' disease"). The cause of this disease is also air conditioners, but in most cases these are not modern air conditioners, the condensate from which is immediately discharged outside, but branched air conditioning systems, where water condensate constantly accumulates and legionella bacteria can develop in it. All modern air conditioners have bactericidal filters that do not allow bacteria and microorganisms to develop inside the device. Only in very rare cases, when the filters and air conditioning system are very heavily contaminated from the inside, then there is a risk of legionella appearing in the air conditioner.

Cold Symptoms from Air Conditioner

The symptoms of a cold from an air conditioner are very similar to the symptoms of a common cold. It can all start with a headache, muscle and body aches, a slight increase in body temperature, a runny nose, sneezing, a burning sensation in the throat and pain when swallowing food or saliva. In addition, there may also be a loss of appetite, drowsiness, a feeling of fatigue, and pain in the ears.

If these symptoms do not go away for more than 1-2 weeks, the patient's condition is constantly worsening, new symptoms appear, that is, there is a suspicion that a common cold has become more complicated, and a chronic disease of the lungs and upper respiratory tract has developed, which must be treated only in a specialized medical institution under the supervision of a doctor.

Diagnosing a Cold from an Air Conditioner

When a cold from an air conditioner occurs, its primary diagnosis is not particularly difficult. If you sneeze constantly, runny watery discharge appears from the nose, breathing through the nose becomes difficult, the body temperature rises slightly and malaise appears, then this means that you have rhinitis, i.e. a runny nose. If you have a sore throat, a constant painful dry cough, a slight increase in body temperature - this is pharyngitis (inflammation of the mucous membrane of the pharynx). But most often there is nasopharyngitis - this is a simultaneous inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nose and pharynx.

If you have a sore throat when swallowing, enlarged submandibular lymph nodes and tonsils, these symptoms indicate angina. In almost all cases, angina is accompanied by an increase in body temperature, most often the temperature is high (38.5-41.0), but there may also be a very slight increase (37.0 - 38.5). Based on a certain natural pattern, if the temperature is low with angina, then the damage to the tonsils will be more pronounced, and vice versa - with a high body temperature, inflammation of the tonsils will not be so pronounced and acute.

If a cold from an air conditioner is accompanied by a dry cough (which after a while turns into a wet cough), an increase in body temperature, and the voice becomes hoarse and rough, this is laryngitis (inflammation of the mucous membranes of the larynx). If a cold is not treated, it can become complicated by tracheitis (inflammation of the trachea) and bronchitis (inflammation of the bronchi). This complicated condition is accompanied by more complex symptoms and can only be diagnosed by a doctor.

In cases where a patient develops Legionnaires' disease, its symptoms are also somewhat similar to those of a cold. At first, a dry cough appears, then a cough with sputum, moderate headache, general malaise, and rapid fatigue. Then the condition worsens sharply, a high temperature rises, chills and fever appear, pain in the muscles and joints, in addition, chest pain may appear when taking a deep breath and coughing - this is a sign of pleurisy (inflammation of the pleura - the lining of the lungs and the inner surface of the chest). Other characteristic signs of the disease are damage to other organs and systems due to general intoxication of the body. Patients often experience disorders in the gastrointestinal tract, the liver enlarges, kidney function deteriorates, and respiratory failure may gradually develop.

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Treating a Cold from an Air Conditioner

In the early stages, a cold from an air conditioner is easily treated. When the first symptoms of the disease appear, it is necessary to take cold medications or use folk remedies - hot tea with lemon, a warm bath, and if the temperature rises, the body can be rubbed with alcohol.

If the cold symptoms are more complex and are accompanied by a significant increase in body temperature, then in this case the treatment should be carried out strictly under the supervision of a doctor, since self-medication in this situation can only worsen the patient's condition and provoke the emergence of complications. In any case, if the cold symptoms are difficult to treat and continue for more than 7-10 days, then a doctor's consultation is necessary.

Regarding the treatment of Legionnaires' disease, a slightly different approach is implied here. In this case, the patient is urgently hospitalized and undergoes active anti-intoxication therapy and antibiotic therapy for two weeks.

Cold Prevention from Air Conditioning

In order to avoid catching a cold from the air conditioner in the summer, you should always remember about its prevention. In this case, you need to remember how to use the air conditioner correctly and rationally. Firstly, the air temperature outside and inside should not have a sharp difference, the optimal temperature difference is 5-8 degrees. Otherwise, if you come from the hot street and enter a much cooler room, you risk getting hypothermia and eventually a cold. Also, you should not direct the stream of cold air from the air conditioner directly at yourself, it is better when the air is evenly distributed along the walls or ceiling. The same applies to the use of a car air conditioner. In cases where the car is very overheated, you must first open all the doors or windows for a few minutes, ventilate the interior, and only then close them and turn on the air conditioner. It is also necessary to monitor the serviceability of the air conditioner, regularly change its filters and prevent it from getting dirty from the inside. In addition to all this, it is also necessary to strengthen your immunity so that the immune system can actively protect the body from pathogenic microorganisms and viruses and effectively fight already obvious diseases.

Thus, we can easily draw a conclusion from the above information - the air conditioner itself is not capable of having a direct harmful effect on human health, harm can only occur with improper and irrational use of this household appliance. Therefore, a cold from an air conditioner is very easy to prevent simply by following the basic rules for using an air conditioner during the summer heat.