Be cautious and take better care of your health. Look through the list below and see whether the symptoms mentioned there occur to you.

Learn to tell the common cold from meningitis, strep throat, flu and a dozen other issues.

1. Symptoms that last for four days or longer

Some signs disappear before the four days are over. If your symptoms last for longer and your condition does not clear up on its own, you might need to see your doctor. Congestion, a sore throat and runny nose may bother you for between three to five days. However, most other signs of the common cold should disappear after 3-4 days.

2. Symptoms that keep coming back

After a short period of recovery you notice that the same symptoms come back. Reappearing symptoms is a bad sign of a more serious health condition that the common cold. This phenomenon can occur to people who first caught a cold but their immune system was too weak to resist and fight the illness which transformed and developed into a sinus infection. It may also be a sign of pneumonia as well as strep throat. Your general practitioner can help you understand whether you need some extra treatment.