Questions about colds

*Usually *when I catch a cold I catch it in the chest. A lot of coughing and struggling to breath.

This year’s is definitely centered in my head. Stuffed and runny nose. Some chest congestion, but not like I usually suffer from.

I’m trying to understand why it affects me differently from one year to the next. Is it simply that different viruses behave differently?

What makes me feel so weak? The muscle should be the same as it was last week. I am struggling with lifting even grocery bags. I suppose the body is using all its energy trying to fight the virus, but can someone explain it more technically? (but not so much that a novice will struggle with it.)

Similar question I guess for loss of appetite. I have read that digesting food requires a lot of energy that the body needs to fight off a virus. Is there a better explanation? (one I can understand) or is really that simple?

Please note that AFAIK there is no cure for a common cold other than rest and time. I am not asking for medical diagnosis, I’m just fascinated with the way things work.

I suppose different strains of cold have different effects. That’s true of many diseases.

Also, I think you can catch a cold in different parts of your body. That is, the typical cold (I read) comes from viruses on your hands that you rub into your eyes so they travel down the tear duct into your upper respiratory system, where they get into your cells and take over. You can also catch a cold when you inhale viruses as aerosol and they deposit around the turbinates or above the soft palate. Or you could inhale aersols deeper, maybe through your mouth. So, the location they land first will be the area that suffers the most damage before your immune system stops the, I would think.

[QUOTE=KhadajiI’m trying to understand why it affects me differently from one year to the next. Is it simply that different viruses behave differently?[/QUOTE]

That’s it. What we call a “cold” can be caused by any one of hundreds of viruses.