what would the effects of a cold virus be aside from the immune system? Seems every symptom of a cold is an immune system response, and not the cold itself.

Question

what would the effects of a cold virus be aside from the immune system? Seems every symptom of a cold is an immune system response, and not the cold itself.

In: 76

Answer 1

Viruses destroy cells. That’s their whole shtick.

If you didn’t have an immune system, the virus would replicate unchecked, destroying cells at an ever increasing rate. Shortly after infection, your cells would be dying faster than they could be replaced. Depending on where the infection was most established, you would soon die of that organ failure. Cold viruses are usually respiratory viruses, so your lungs would fail, filling with fluid or ceasing normal gas exchange, and you would die of asphyxiation.