Potential common factors associated with predisposition to common cold in middle-aged and elderly Japanese

Abstract

People worldwide frequently catch a common cold, which occasionally develops into secondary severe conditions such as pneumonia. However, it is unclear whether predisposition to the common cold is associated with the individual's characteristics including age, body weight, lifestyles, diets, and intestinal functions, besides exposure to a responsible pathogen. We addressed this issue epidemiologically considering many relevant clinical factors.We reviewed data from a cross-sectional study consisting of 39,524 apparently healthy Japanese aged 40 to 79 years (26,975 men and 12,549 women) who underwent a checkup in 2007. Self-reported predisposition to common cold (SPCC) and relevant clinical conditions and parameters were considered.We observed no significant difference in most clinical parameters including age, body mass index (BMI), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and prevalence of men and current smokers between subjects with and without SPCC. In univariate analysis, circulating white blood cell (WBC) count and serum alanine-aminotransferase (ALT) were significantly higher in subjects with SPCC than in those without, whereas serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and duration of sleep were lower. In logistic regression analysis after full adjustment for relevant confounding factors, BMI categories except BMI of ≥27.0 kg/m2 were significantly associated with SPCC compared with BMI of 23.0 to 24.9 kg/m2. Short duration of sleep (≤5 hours), occasional alcohol drinking, and no-exercise were significantly associated with SPCC compared with 7 hours sleep duration, no-drinking alcohol, and low frequent exercise (twice per month), respectively. All gastrointestinal disorders (gastric complaints, constipation, and diarrhea) were independently associated with SPCC. Imbalanced diet and taking a snack were also associated with SPCC in a degree dependent manner. Furthermore, WBC count, serum ALT, and HDL-C (as continuous variables) were associated with SPCC (HDL-C was inversely), whereas no significant association was observed between SPCC and age, smoking, HbA1c, and pharmacotherapy for diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia.Our results demonstrated that multifactorial conditions and parameters might be simultaneously associated with the predisposition to common cold. Prospective studies including detailed common cold questionnaire and measurements are needed to confirm currently suspected causative and protective factors.

The Relevance of Complementary and Integrative Medicine in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Review of the Literature

“…The positive effects of exercise for general mental and physical health as well as for specific physiological functions including the immune system have been demonstrated in several systematic reviews and meta-analyses (18). Lack of exercise is one of the most common causes of chronic diseases, making patients more susceptible to infections and complicating disease courses (104,105). Evidence on preventive effects of exercise for the elderly is overwhelmingly positive (106).…”

“…Sleep deficiency, poor sleep quality or shifts in the chronobiologic sleep rhythm are associated with an increase in chronic diseases (123). Insufficient sleep (<7 h) is also associated with a significant increase in upper respiratory tract infections (105,124,125). CIM offers a variety of ways to improve sleep duration and quality including the application of oil mixtures of aromatherapy (126), e.g., lavender, but also MBSR, yoga, and tai chi may improve sleep quality (127).…”

Short‐term insomnia and common cold: A cross‐sectional study

“…Previous research has indicated that chronic insomnia is one of the causes of common cold or pneumonia. [1][2][3][4] According to previous studies, 5 impaired overall health may affect insomnia. Research indicates that narcolepsy frequently accompanies influenza, 6 suggesting the possibility that influenza influences sleep behaviors.…”

“…There are two possibilities regarding the relationship between impaired overall health and insomnia: Insomnia contributes to the occurrence of impaired overall health, or impaired overall health leads to insomnia. Previous research has indicated that chronic insomnia is one of the causes of common cold or pneumonia . According to previous studies, impaired overall health may affect insomnia.…”

Vaccines for the common cold

“…The common cold is a disease of diverse aetiology (see Appendix 3) (Heikkinen 2003). Premature babies, children, the elderly, and other populations with comorbidities such as chronic lung diseases (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), congenital heart disease, and asthma are more prone to viral infections that cause the common cold, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human rhinovirus (HRV), parainfluenza, coronavirus, and adenovirus (nonpolio) (Johnston 2017;Lu 2020;Rubner 2017;Shibata 2018). Additionally, in humans, coronavirus such as the HCoV-229E, HCoV-OC43, HCoV-NL63, and HCoV-HKU1 strains are responsible for URT infections (URTI) associated with the common cold (Zumla 2016).…”