Dear Thomas,

you raise many interesting questions concerning cold exposure and
common=20=

cold. In general I do believe that there is some connection between=20
acute cold exposure and the onset of common cold symptoms.

I think the key point that has perhaps been overlooked in many
previous=20=

explanations is that acute cold exposure may trigger common cold=20
symptoms by converting a subclinical infection to a clinical
infection.=20=

The subject believes they have caught a cold but in fact they may
have=20=

already been infected and the cold exposure was sufficient to cause a=20
decrease in respiratory defence, perhaps by causing nasal=20
vasoconstriction.

I have written a review article on this topic that is at present in=20
press for publication in Rhinology some time later this year.

Acute cooling of the body surface and the common cold. Rhinolgy, in =
press
SUMMARY
There is a widely held belief that acute viral respiratory infections=20
are the result of a =93 chill=94 and that the onset of a respiratory=20
infection such as the common cold is often associated with acute
cooling=20=

of the body surface, especially as the result of wet clothes and
hair.=20=

However, experiments involving inoculation of common cold viruses
into=20=

the nose, and periods of cold exposure, have failed to demonstrate
any=20=

effect of cold exposure on susceptibility to infection with common
cold=20=

viruses. Present scientific opinion dismisses any cause-and-effect=20
relationship between acute cooling of the body surface and common
cold.=20=

This review proposes a hypothesis; that acute cooling of the body=20
surface causes reflex vasoconstriction in the nose and upper airways,=20
and that this vasoconstrictor response may inhibit respiratory
defence=20=

and cause the onset of common cold symptoms by converting an=20
asymptomatic sub-clinical viral infection into a symptomatic clinical=20
infection.


Best wishes

Ron=09


Professor Ronald Eccles
Director, Common Cold Centre
Cardiff School of Biosciences
Museum Avenue
Cardiff University
Cardiff CF10 3US
Wales, United Kingdom

voice 44-(0)29 20874099
fax     44-(0)29 20874093
Common Cold Centre  >http://www.cf.ac.uk/biosi/associates/cold/home.html
Personal details >http://www.cf.ac.uk/biosi/associates/cold/eccles.html
NOSE discussion list >http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/nose.html

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Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
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        charset=WINDOWS-1252

Dear Thomas,


you raise many interesting questions concerning cold exposure and
common cold. In general I do believe that there is some connection
between acute cold exposure and the onset of common cold symptoms.=20


I think the key point that has perhaps been overlooked in many
previous explanations is that acute cold exposure may trigger common
cold symptoms by converting a subclinical infection to a clinical
infection. The subject believes they have caught a cold but in fact
they may have already been infected and the cold exposure was
sufficient to cause a decrease in respiratory defence, perhaps by
causing nasal vasoconstriction.


I have written a review article on this topic that is at present in
press for publication in Rhinology some time later this year.=20


<fontfamily><param>Times</param><bigger>Acute cooling of the body
surface and the common cold. Rhinolgy, in press

SUMMARY

There is a widely held belief that acute viral respiratory infections
are the result of a =93 chill=94 and that the onset of a respiratory
infection such as the common cold is often associated with acute
cooling of the body surface, especially as the result of wet clothes
and hair. However, experiments involving inoculation of common cold
viruses into the nose, and periods of cold exposure, have failed to
demonstrate any effect of cold exposure on susceptibility to infection
with common cold viruses. Present scientific opinion dismisses any
cause-and-effect relationship between acute cooling of the body
surface and common cold. This review proposes a hypothesis; that acute
cooling of the body surface causes reflex vasoconstriction in the nose
and upper airways, and that this vasoconstrictor response may inhibit
respiratory defence and cause the onset of common cold symptoms by
converting an asymptomatic sub-clinical viral infection into a
symptomatic clinical infection.=20



Best wishes


Ron=09


</bigger></fontfamily>

Professor Ronald Eccles

Director, Common Cold Centre

Cardiff School of Biosciences

Museum Avenue

Cardiff University

Cardiff CF10 3US

Wales, United Kingdom


voice 44-(0)29 20874099

fax     44-(0)29 20874093

Common Cold Centre=20
http://www.cf.ac.uk/biosi/associates/cold/home.html

Personal details >http://www.cf.ac.uk/biosi/associates/cold/eccles.html

NOSE discussion list >http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/nose.html