Contributed by Jai A. Dennison| 14 November, 2005 20:29 GMT
'Cooling of the nose slows down clearance of viruses from the nose and slows down the white cells that fight infection.'
The notion that failure to bundle up against the elements can lead to sneezes and sniffles has been around for ages, but often has been dismissed as an old wives' tale. Researchers have debunked any relationship between chilling and viral infection as being scientifically unsound.
However, a recent study carried out at
Cardiff University's Common Cold Centre lends support to the folklore that links chills to the common cold. The findings are published in the medical journal
Family Practice.
Cold Feet
Claire Johnson and Professor Ron Eccles recruited 180 volunteers during the common cold season in Cardiff, from October to March.
All of the participants took their shoes and socks off. Half had their feet chilled in ice-cold water for 20 minutes, while the others sat with their feet in an empty bowl.
Over the next four to five days, 29% of the chilled volunteers developed cold symptoms but only 9% in the control group did so.
Dormant Infection
"When colds are circulating in the community, many people are mildly infected but show no symptoms," says Eccles.
"If they become chilled, this causes a pronounced constriction of the blood vessels in the nose and shuts off the warm blood that supplies the white cells that fight infection," he notes.
"The reduced defenses in the nose allow the virus to get stronger, and common cold symptoms develop. Although the chilled subject believes they have 'caught a cold,' what has in fact happened is that the dormant infection has taken hold," Eccles explains.
Cold Noses
It is well established that colds are more prevalent in winter than summer. This may be due in part to an increased incidence of chilling causing more clinical colds.
Another possible explanation, according to a review article published by the Centre, is that noses are colder during the winter months.
"A cold nose may be one of the major factors that causes common colds to be seasonal," says the article. "When the cold weather comes, we wrap ourselves up in winter coats to keep warm but our nose is directly exposed to the cold air. Cooling of the nose slows down clearance of viruses from the nose and slows down the white cells that fight infection.
"Mothers can now be confident in their advice to children to wrap up well in winter," the article concludes. |
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