Do we get sick when we get wet in rain while nothing happens when we stand in the shower?
Asked
Active
Viewed 4,002 times
15
-
2Related: Does being cold increase your chances of catching the common cold? – Suma Dec 14 '13 at 12:34
-
1We are not a medicine site and we can't answer "why", but we can tell you whether it's true at all through examination of the evidence. I've edited your question to make it on-topic. – Sklivvz Dec 14 '13 at 12:36
-
Is the question "catch cold" or "get sick"? being wet in a cold location can cause hypothermia but that's a disorder not a sickness. The claim here is vague. – RedGrittyBrick Dec 14 '13 at 13:02
-
2I don't think it's a duplicate or about being cold, because this is talking about wetness. Notice the comparison with shower. "catch cold" vs. "get sick"... sure those are different things, but an answer can reasonably address both. – Dec 14 '13 at 18:25
1 Answers
4
'Cold' is just a name given to the rhinoviruses that cause cold symptoms, the idea that going out into the cold would cause a cold was just a traditional idea, not necessarily based on anything other than biased observations.
All this said, it is true that colds, and more specifically flu, are more prevalent in winter months, and that this is true, even in opposite hemispheres of the planet, where winter occurs at opposite times of year. This provable seasonality of flu doesn't show that the cold temperature causes flu, though. It could be that cold weather aligns with flu season because, for instance, people stay indoors, together, incubating viruses during this time.
Owen C. Jones
- 1,765
- 15
- 15