What are the stages of common cold?

The first stage of the common cold is the dry stage. This is when one will experience stuffy nose and sometimes a tickling sensation in the throat. The symptoms which come next are coughing, sneezing and watery eyes, and sometimes a headache and sore throat might also show up. This is the viral stage of the common cold, with or without fever, and one should stay away from other people during this stage, so as not to spread the disease. This stage can last up to three weeks, but it does vary, sometimes it tends to be shorter and sometimes longer. The symptoms that one may experience in this stage are membrane congestion, fever, thick mucus secretions and partial obstruction in the air passage.

Apart from that, one may also feel pain all over the body along with headaches, chills and lassitude. The period of incubation is however very short, and can last from 18 to 48 hours. It is best to stay out of crowds during this stage, so that the virus does not spread.