Is my child's cold serious?

Acute rhinitis, Acute nasal catarrh, Infective rhinitis, Common cold (disorder), Acute coryza, Acute nasopharyngitis, Head cold, Acute infective rhinitis, Cold, Infective nasopharyngitis,

Young children get colds quite often because their immune system is still developing.

It can be worrying when your child gets a cold, but it's not usually serious and normally passes within two weeks.

Below are the answers to some commonly asked questions about colds in children.

Is my child's cold serious?

Colds aren't usually serious, although young children are at an increased risk ofdeveloping further problems, such as Otitis media .

Very occasionally, more serious problems such as  pneumonia can develop, so it's important to keep a close eye on your child.

 

Most colds in children get better on their own without treatment, although they may take a little bit longer to recover than an adult would.

Sometimes it may seem as though you child has had a cold for a very long time, when in fact they've had several different minor infections with a short recovery time in between.

Content supplied by the NHS Website

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 20 Jan 2017