Infection in the Nose, Throat, and Airways (Upper Respiratory Infection) in Adults: What to Know

An upper respiratory infection (URI) affects the nose, throat, and upper airways that lead to the lungs. The most common type of URI is often called the common cold.

URIs usually get better on their own, without medical treatment.

What are the causes?

• Breathing in droplets from an infected person's cough or sneeze.
• Touching something that has the virus on it and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.

What increases the risk?

• Being an older adult.
• Having close contact with others, such as at work, school, or a health care facility.
• Smoking.
• Having long-term heart or lung disease.
• Having a weakened immune system, which is the body's defense system.
• Having nasal allergies or asthma.
• Having a lot of stress.
• Having poor nutrition.

What are the signs or symptoms?

• Runny or stuffy (congested) nose and sneezing.
• Cough or sore throat.
• Headache or muscle aches.
• Feeling tired.
• Fever.
• Not wanting to eat as much as usual.
• Sinus pain. This is pain in your forehead, behind your eyes, and over your cheekbones.
• Redness or irritation of the eyes.
• Pressure in the ears or face.

How is this diagnosed?

• Your symptoms and medical history.
• A physical exam.

Your health care provider may also use a swab to take a mucus sample from your nose (nasal swab). This sample can be tested to see what virus is causing the illness.

How is this treated?

• Over-the-counter cold medicines.
• Medicines to reduce coughing (cough suppressants). Coughing is a type of defense against infection. It helps to clear the nose, throat, windpipe, and lungs. So you should take these medicines only as told.
• Medicines to lower your fever.

Follow these instructions at home:

Activity

• Rest as needed.
• If you have a fever, stay home from work or school until your fever is gone or until your provider says it's OK to go back.
  • You should stay home until you're no longer contagious. This means you can't spread the infection to other people anymore.
  • Your provider may have you wear a face mask so you have less risk of spreading the infection.

Relieving symptoms

• Use saline nose drops to ease a stuffy nose.
• Use a cream or balm to help heal dry skin around your nose.
• Swish and gargle with salt water and then spit it out. To make salt water, add a half to a whole spoonful of salt to a glass of warm water. Mix well.
• Take a teaspoon of honey before bed. This may help with symptoms and lessen coughing at night.
• Use a cool-mist humidifier to add moisture to the air. This can help you breathe more easily.

Eating and drinking

• Drink more fluids as told.
• Eat soups and other clear broths.

General instructions

• Take medicines only as told.
• Do not smoke, vape, or use nicotine or tobacco.
• Stay away from secondhand smoke. Avoid places where people are smoking.
• Stay up to date on your shots. Be sure to get the flu shot every year.

How to prevent the spread of infection to others

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If you can't use soap and water, use hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your mouth, face, eyes, or nose.
• Cough or sneeze into a tissue or your sleeve or elbow. Do not cough or sneeze into your hand or into the air.
• Clean all surfaces and doorknobs.

Contact a health care provider if:

• You're getting worse, not better.
• You have any of these:
  • Brown or red mucus in your nose.
  • Yellow or brown fluid coming from your nose.
  • Pain in your face, especially when you bend forward.
  • Swollen neck glands.
  • Pain when you swallow.
  • White areas in the back of your throat.
• You have very bad or constant:
  • Headache.
  • Ear pain.
  • Sinus pain.
• You have long-term lung disease along with any of these:
  • Wheezing. This means making whistling sounds when you breathe.
  • A cough for more than 14 days.
  • Coughing up blood.
  • A change in your usual mucus.

Get help right away if:

• You have shortness of breath that gets worse.
• You have chest pain.
• You have a stiff neck.
• You have changes in your:
  • Vision.
  • Hearing.
  • Thinking.
  • Mood.

• Do not wait to see if the symptoms will go away.
• Do not drive yourself to the hospital.