Colds, flu and coughing: a review of over-the-counter cold and flu medicines

Abstract

The constellation of a sore throat, rhinorrhoea, nasal congestion, coughing, low-grade fever, headaches and the malaise of the common cold, has been recognised as a disease entity since antiquity. 1,2 The common cold is the most frequent human illness, and is caused by members of several families of viruses. The most likely offenders are the ±100 serotypes of rhinoviruses. 2