Cold-Induced Illness: Survey of 30 doctors and 70 patients

The "cold" is a very common reason for seeking care in primary care. It is therefore worthwhile to explore this term in greater depth and provide a precise definition. To do so, we conducted a survey of thirty primary care physicians and 70 patients to identify the conditions associated with the "cold," as well as its pathophysiological mechanism. We also synthesized the main articles from the international literature published since the 1990s, which are primarily in English and concern the "common cold," the English translation of the term "coup de froid." The results of these two studies are as follows: based on the two surveys, it appears that the "coup de froid" encompasses a range of acute upper respiratory tract infections, including rhinopharyngitis. The etiology is thought to be primarily a decline in immune defenses linked to cold exposure and, secondarily, a viral cause. These results do not correspond with those of the literature review, since the "common cold" is certainly a well-defined acute infection of the upper respiratory tract, but its origin is exclusively viral and in no way linked to cold exposure.