Sneezing, coughing, sore throat and high temperature or fever – the common cold can present with a variety of symptoms. Despite its name, the common cold is not caused by the cold but by an infection of the (upper) respiratory tract. It is, however, associated with the colder times of the year: Cold air can make mucous membranes in the respiratory tract drier and thus more vulnerable to infection. The common cold is often referred to as a “flu-like infection” but it must be clearly distinguished from flu (influenza). The symptoms of the common cold are, apart from those already mentioned, headache, hoarseness and a general feeling of being unwell as well as lassitude. High temperature and fever may also occur during a cold as a result of the body’s defence mechanisms.