How The Coronavirus Is Different From The Flu Colds And Allergies
Youre coughing, fatigued and have a sore throat. It could be seasonal allergies or the beginnings of a cold. Or it could be something more serious like influenza or coronavirus. This chart can help you recognize symptoms of coronavirus, colds, flu and allergies so that you can work with your doctor to get the appropriate care.
Allergy Symptoms Vs Covid
Throughout the US, pollen has started to bloom and cause typical symptoms in those with allergies right as we have seen the spread of the coronavirus . Allergies typically cause nasal symptoms such as a runny nose and sinus congestion but do not usually result in a fever, as is found with coronavirus or the flu. While some symptoms of the coronavirus overlap with allergies, there are several differences.
Its important to note that this article is not intended to provide comprehensive medical advice. If you have concerns, please always contact your doctor and use general best practices.
Ones Riskier Than The Other
People can die from severe allergic reactions to certain foods , medications , or materials . Allergic rhinitis , while uncomfortable, is not fatal, Dr. Ditto says. But some of the complications of allergies, such as asthma, can be.
According to the CDC, most cases of COVID-19 are mild, but cases can turn severe, especially if youre older or have other health issues like diabetes or heart disease. Other things to note:
- It can take two to 14 days for COVID-19 symptoms to appear after exposure to the virus. This is called the incubation period.
- COVID-19 is very contagious. It has the ability to spread widely, even in vaccinated people or those without symptoms.
- Interestingly, the number of people affected by seasonal allergies also seem to be on the upswing, due, at least in part, say experts at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology , to climate change.
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What Are The Allergy Symptoms
The typical allergy symptoms include nasal congestion and runny nose. In most cases, the nose can become itchy and the individual will sneeze in an attempt to eliminate the offending allergens that are present in the nose. The eyes will become itchy and start to water as the bodily system reacts to the substances the individual is allergic to. As the nasal passages and sinuses become inflamed and congested, headache can develop.
When the body attempts to eliminate pollen, an individual will develop dry cough. In most cases, the individual will become fatigued as the body tries to fight the allergens. If the symptoms worsen, low-grade fever can develop reaching up to 100.5 degrees F.
Can Allergies Cause A Fever
by Dr. Paul Young MD | Jun 25, 2019 | Allergy Care, Sinus
Its normal to come down with a cold when the weather changes. If you suffer from allergies though, it can be difficult to know whether your nose is stuffy because of the pollen in the air or the bacteria in your bloodstream. Thankfully, theres a simple way to tell. Allergies cannot cause a fever. Heres why.
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Allergies Rarely Cause Sore Throats Or Body Aches
The only ache you may feel with allergies is a headache from all that congestion. Allergies can cause a sore throat if theres enough irritation from post-nasal drip and coughing, but if youre experiencing a sore throat or mild body aches, theyre more likely a sign of a bad cold.
Can allergies cause chills? No. If you have chills, its more likely you have a cold, the flu or another infection .
Can Allergic Rhinitis Be Prevented Or Avoided
Allergic rhinitis cannot be prevented. You can help your symptoms by avoiding the things that cause your symptoms.
- Keep windows closed. This is especially important during high-pollen seasons.
- Wash your hands after petting animals.
- Use dust- and mite-proof bedding and mattress covers.
- Wear glasses outside to protect your eyes.
- Shower before bed to wash off allergens from hair and skin.
You can also avoid things that can make your symptoms worse, such as:
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Hay Fever Management And Treatment
Avoid triggers by making changes to your home and to your behavior.
- Keep windows closed during high pollen periods use air conditioning in your home and car.
- Wear glasses or sunglasses when outdoors to keep pollen out of your eyes.
- Use mite-proof bedding covers to limit exposure to dust mites and a dehumidifier to control mold. .
- Wash your hands after petting any animal, and have a nonallergic person help with pet grooming, preferably in a well-ventilated area or outside.
What people dont realize is most of the over-the-counter medicines are designed for milder allergies. For the people who have more moderate to severe allergy problems, its very rare that over the counter medicines are enough.
Allergist James Sublett, MD
Can Allergies Cause Fevers Indirectly
Allergies can take quite a toll on your immune system. If your white blood cells are busy fighting off pollen, you might find yourself feeling weak. Its not uncommon to come down with a cold or sinus infection in the midst of allergy season. Sinuses filled with mucus are breeding grounds for bacteria. In this case, allergies can cause a fever, but only indirectly.
If you do come down with a cold during allergy season, you need to make sure that youre taking extra precautions to stay hydrated and relax so your body can recover. It can be exhausting for your body to fight on two fronts at the same time.
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How Is Allergic Rhinitis Diagnosed
If your symptoms interfere with your daily life, see your family doctor. Your doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms and medical history and perform a physical exam. Keeping a record of your symptoms over a period of time can help your doctor determine what triggers your allergies.
Your doctor may want to do an allergy skin test to determine what you are allergic to. Tiny amounts of allergens are applied to your skin. You will feel tiny pricks that are usually not painful. Your doctor will observe and record the way your skin reacts to each allergen.
Your doctor may also decide to do a blood test, such as the radioallergosorbent test . This test identifies antibodies in your blood that determine what youre allergic to. Once your allergens are identified, you and your doctor can decide the best treatment.
What Causes Allergic Rhinitis
If you have allergies, your body releases chemicals when you are exposed to an allergen. One such chemical is called histamine. Histamine is your bodys defense against the allergen. The release of histamine causes your symptoms.
Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen. Pollen comes from flowering trees, grass, and weeds. If you are allergic to pollen, you will notice your symptoms are worse on hot, dry days when wind carries the pollen. On rainy days, pollen often is washed to the ground, which means you are less likely to breathe it. Your allergies can vary depending on the time of year:
- Allergies that occur in the spring are often due to tree pollen.
- Allergies that occur in the summer are often due to grass and weed pollen.
- Allergies that occur in the fall are often due to ragweed.
Allergens that can cause perennial allergic rhinitis include:
- Mold is common where water tends to collect, such as shower curtains and damp basements. It can also be found in rotting logs, hay, and mulch. This allergy is usually worse during humid and rainy weather.
- Animal dander.The skin, saliva, and urine of furry pets such as cats and dogs are allergens. You can be exposed to dander when handling an animal or from house dust that contains dander.
- Many allergens, including dust mites, are in dust. Dust mites are tiny living creatures found in bedding, mattresses, carpeting, and upholstered furniture. They live on dead skin cells and other things found in house dust.
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Can Allergies Raise Your Temperature And Cause Fever
People rarely experience a fever as a result of allergies. However, depending on the allergen and the symptoms you develop when your immune system reacts, you can develop a fever. Fever is usually caused by infection therefore, fever as a symptom is rare without an infection.
Fever is seen in people with nasal congestion due to an allergen. The congestion traps microorganisms like bacteria in your nose, predisposing you to sinusitis. Sinus inflammation is referred to as sinusitis and is associated with fever. Therefore, such fever can last for a few days and requires antimicrobial treatment. In such a case, treating sinusitis will help relieve you from the fever, as is seen with other infections that cause fever. People whose allergy does not cause nasal congestion rarely experience fever as a symptom of an allergic reaction.
Can Allergies Cause Fatigue & A Low Grade Fever
Whether it is spring or fall, if you suffer from allergies, you run the risk of becoming sick. For some sufferers, allergies cause nasal congestion, headache and cough 1. For others, if their bodies react strongly enough, their symptoms may include a low-grade fever and fatigue. It is important to know how to treat your symptoms so you begin feeling healthy again.
If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.
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Experts Say You Might Want To Think Twice Before Blaming Your Child’s Low
Allergy sufferers experience a wide range of symptoms, ranging from itchy eyes and runny nose to sore throat and congestion. The symptoms can occur throughout the year or seasonally, depending on the cause of your allergies, and they can negatively affect day-to-day activities, says Sanjeev Jain, M.D., a board-certified allergist and immunologist at Columbia Allergy. But whether your child is allergic to pet dander or pollen, you may wonder if they can have a low-grade fever with allergies. Here’s what parents need to know.
What Causes The Symptoms
Always bear in mind that an individual allergic to pollen will strongly react to it. The body establishes a defensive response. Since pollen can spread quickly during windy days, it can reach even far distances. The plants responsible for producing the allergy-causing pollen include pine trees, junipers, grasses and various types of weed as well as deciduous trees.
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What Are Colds And Allergies
The common cold is a virus of the upper respiratory system which causes symptoms such as a runny nose, cough, sore throat, and general low-level feelings of unwellness. Typically, toddlers with a cold start to feel better within a couple of weeks.
Allergies are caused when your toddlers immune system overreacts to usually harmless elements, such as pollen, pet dander, mold, and insect bites. Allergy symptoms, such as coughing, sneezing, and a runny nose, range from mild to life-threatening. Allergy symptoms usually continue until you remove the allergen or receive treatment.
Allergies Follow A Pattern And Symptoms Tend To Stick Around Longer
If you have allergies, your symptoms will flare up at certain times throughout the year when the allergens youre sensitive to are present. For example, if you have a tree pollen allergy, your symptoms will first appear in the early spring.
This also means that your symptoms can last for several weeks until that particular allergy season has ended. To put that into perspective, colds usually only last about a week.
Cold viruses are present all year, so you can catch one at any time. However, the winter cold season is when getting sick is more likely.
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Care Advice For Nose Allergies Or Hay Fever
How Are Seasonal Allergies Treated
There are many ways to treat seasonal allergies, depending on how bothersome the symptoms are. An important part of treatment is knowing what someone is allergic to. Some kids can get relief by reducing or eliminating exposure to the allergens that bother them.
If certain seasons cause symptoms, keep the windows closed, use air conditioning instead of fresh air when possible, and stay indoors when pollen counts are high. It’s also a good idea for kids with seasonal allergies to wash their hands or shower and change clothes after playing outside.
If reducing exposure isn’t possible or doesn’t help, doctors may recommend medicines for allergy symptoms. These can include oral, nasal, and ocular antihistamines and nasal steroid sprays. If these don’t help or a child has to take multiple medicines to ease symptoms, the doctor may recommend seeing an allergist. The allergist can decide whether allergy shots could help.
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Talk With A Doctor Or Clinician To Create A Personalized Treatment Plan
If you arent sure if its a cold or allergies, or if your symptoms are severe or long-lasting, its best to connect with a care provider to get an official diagnosis and treatment plan.
If your allergy symptoms are left untreated, you could become more prone to getting sinus infections or other upper respiratory infections, or they may lead to poor asthma control.
Also, a common cold can turn severe. So if your cold has had you laid up longer than a day or two, get in touch with your doctor.
You have a couple options:
Make an appointment for face-to-face care from a primary care doctor or clinician. Whether you choose a video visit or in-person appointment, your doctor will listen to your symptoms, answer questions and work with you to create a tailored treatment plan including connecting you with an allergist or an otolaryngologist if needed.
Start a virtual visit anytime, anyplace through Virtuwell. With Virtuwell, no appointment is necessary and treatment is available 24/7. Getting started is easy. Well ask you a few questions, and youll get your diagnosis and treatment plan from a board-certified nurse practitioner. Each visit is just $59 or less, depending on your insurance.
Are You Experiencing Allergies Or A Cold
Sometimes adults can develop respiratory allergies, even if they have never had them before. Allergies develop if the immune system becomes sensitized to certain triggers, such as pollen, pet dander, dust mites or mold spores, and mounts a defense to those triggers. The symptoms you experience are signs of that defensive action.
A runny nose and fatigue can be signs of seasonal allergies, but those symptoms could also be caused by a cold virus, says Kimberly Cai, M.D., an internal medicine physician at Hackensack Meridian Health Medical Group. But there are some important differences between cold and allergy symptoms. Check the list below to see if your symptoms point to an allergy or a cold:
Allergy Symptoms
- Runny nose with thin, watery discharge
- Itchy, red or watery eyes
- Itchy nose, throat or roof of mouth
- Sinus congestion
- Duration: for as long as you are exposed to the allergen
Cold Symptoms
- Runny nose with thick, white or yellow discharge
- Sinus congestion
- Duration: three to seven days
If you suspect allergies, there are ways to fight the symptoms.
Adds Dr. Lee, If these steps dont offer enough relief, we might be able to offer other treatments, such as corticosteroids, allergy shots or other medications.
The material provided through HealthU is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual care.
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Can Allergies Cause A Low
- #1 09-13-2005 12:44 PM by LonelyTravelerHiI have suffered from Allergic Rhinitis , Chronic Sinusitis and a deviated septum for most of my life. It runs in my family. I also have lots of furry and feathery pets which I often have close contact with. Finally, the pollen count in my particular area is VERY high right now .For years and years, I have run intermittent low-grade fevers that go from 97.4 to as high as 99.6 and once it went all the way up to 100.0. During periods where I am feeling a little “under the weather”, I will sometimes take my temp and it is 99+. I have had many tests over the years, asked many doctors about this and done a lot of research on my own and the only thing I can think of is that perhaps my little fevers are allergy-induced. In fact, I had a doctor tell me that he suspected this once.Does anyone else here get intermittent low-grade fevers when the pollen count is high or when your allergies are really bad?. Oh, I also sneeze a few times a day, my nose clogs up or drips a lot, my eyes water, nose itches, upper teeth ache sometimes and once in awhile, I blow my nose and a HUGE ball of mucous comes out .I’m just looking for some input from fellow alergy sufferers and appreciate any help I can get.- Regards, Lonely Traveler
