Can You Get A Bad Cough From Allergies

What Are The Types Of Rhinitis

There are several types of rhinitis:

• Allergic rhinitis is caused by allergies to substances called allergens.
• Seasonal allergic rhinitis is sometimes called hay fever. But, people with seasonal allergic rhinitis do not have to have a fever and do not have to be exposed to hay to develop this condition. It is an allergic reaction to pollen from trees, grasses and weeds. This type of rhinitis occurs mainly in the spring and fall, when pollen from trees, grasses and weeds are in the air.
• Perennial allergic rhinitis is caused by allergens that are present all year long. The primary causes of this type of rhinitis are allergies to dust mites, mold, animal dander and cockroach debris.
• Non-allergic rhinitis is not caused by allergens. Smoke, chemicals or other irritating environmental conditions may provoke non-allergic rhinitis. Hormonal changes, physical defects of the nose and the overuse of nose sprays may also cause it. Sometimes medications cause it. Often, the cause of this type of rhinitis is not well understood. But it is common in patients with non-allergic asthma. The symptoms are similar to allergy symptoms.
• Infectious rhinitis is possibly the most common type of rhinitis. It is also known as the common cold or upper respiratory infection . Colds occur when a cold virus settles into the mucous membranes of the nose and sinus cavities and causes an infection.

Natural Home Cough Remedies

If youd like to avoid taking medication, you can try the following natural remedies:

WaterStaying hydrated by drinking plenty of water helps thin the mucus that might be causing your cough.

Honeyis a go-to remedy for soothing sore throats and can decrease the frequency and severity of coughs. You can keep it simple and swallow a spoonful of honey on its own to coat your throat, or try two teaspoons in a cup of tea or warm water.

Gargling with salt watercan help with pain and offer temporary relief. Add a quarter to a half teaspoon of salt to 8 ounces of warm water and gargle over a sink.

Cough dropsoffer a quick and easy way to keep coughing under control by moistening your throat.Cough dropscome in many flavors and can ease that scratchy feeling that sets off a dry cough.

Keep Yourself And Your Home Clean

Mold spores and pollen can stick to everything, including hair, skin, and clothing, Dr. Shah says. You probably dont even realize youre doing it, but theres a good chance youre tracking irritants into the house. So, you can wear a face mask when you rake leaves outdoors to avoid breathing in mold spores, brush or wipe down pets after walks, leave your shoes outside, and keep windows closed to limit exposure. Cant bear having no fresh air? PollenTEC makes clean air window and door screens that filter dust, pollen, and exhaust soot so you can enjoy the fall breeze while it lasts.

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How To Treat An Allergy Cough At Home

Some ways to treat an allergy cough at home include:

• Taking over-the-counter medications: Allergy medicines, such as antihistamines, nasal sprays, and decongestants, can help reduce the inflammation and mucus production that can lead to a cough.
• Using a humidifier or inhaling steam from a shower:Humidifiers can help clear congestion and soothe throat irritation.
• Using an air purifier: A high-quality air purifier can help reduce the number of allergens and irritants in the air inside a persons home or office space.
• Taking prescription medications: Nasal sprays and antihistamines can help alleviate an allergic cough affecting the upper respiratory tract. Inhalers are usually needed to treat an allergic cough affecting the lower airways.

Allergies Usually Do Not Cause Wet Coughs

While coughing is often a symptom of both allergies and colds, the type of cough for each is different. A cold cough is wet and hacking, and typically produces mucus or phlegm that gets progressively thicker, often taking on a green or yellow tinge.

Allergies can cause a cough that feels like you have a tickle in your throat. Thats because allergens often irritate the lining of your nose, which triggers your nasal passages to create a watery mucus. This can drip out of your nose and down the back of your throat, creating that tickling sensation. This is referred to as post-nasal drip.

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Diagnosing A Hay Fever Cough

When you have an infection, the mucus in your body starts to thicken due to the presence of a virus or bacteria. The type of mucus youre producing can help your doctor tell the difference between a hay fever cough and an infection. If you have thin mucus, as opposed to thick mucus that is difficult to cough up, allergies are usually to blame.

Your doctor will likely ask you about your symptoms as well as what makes them worse or better and when you started noticing them.

How Is Chronic Cough Treated

Your healthcare provider will discuss a treatment plan that will be based on your needs and the cause of the cough.

Possible treatments include new or different medications. If you are having chronic cough due to ACE inhibitors, your doctor might prescribe a different type of medication for your high blood pressure. Its important to note that you shouldnt just stop taking a medication without discussing it with your healthcare provider or pharmacist.

Drug treatments for asthma include inhaled bronchodilators and/or steroids. These drugs help reduce airway inflammation and wheezing.

For infections such as bacterial pneumonia or bronchitis, your provider might prescribe antibiotics, such as azithromycin , cefuroxime or cefprozil , are prescribed.

For some conditions, like GERD, your provider might suggest a combination of non-drug treatments and prescription medications. Non-drug treatments include:

• Using pillows to prop up your head when you’re lying down.
• Avoiding foods that cause acid reflux .
• Not eating right before bedtime.

Prescription medicines that treat GERD by reducing stomach acids include:

In the case of unexplained chronic cough , your healthcare provider might suggest that you see a speech/voice pathologist. Voice therapy for coughing is called behavioral cough suppression therapy .

There are other next-level treatments for UCC such as oral medications:

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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.

What Are The Triggers For Allergy Or Asthma

Asthma and allergy coughs are caused due to irritation or swelling of the airways. A chronic dry cough can occur due to allergies like hay fever. If you are sensitive to pollen, mold, dust, pet dander or other allergens, then you may also experience a cough. Allergies can worsen asthma symptoms, causing them to become severe.

Here are some common allergy triggers:

• Gastroesophageal reflux

Allergists are the best go-to doctors for chronic cough because of their holistic medical approach. They have specific expertise in allergic rhinitis and sinus infections, which cause postnasal drainage leading to chronic cough. Allergists are also experts in treating asthma, which is usually present in 25% of patients with chronic cough. Moreover, they are experienced in dealing with heartburn or GERD, which may cause a cough.

If allergies, asthma and the conditions listed above have been ruled out by your allergist, then your chronic cough may be due to other reasons like:

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Dust Allergies And Coughing

Now that weve established why do we actually cough, its easier to judge whether we can cough during allergies or not. Its pretty easy to understand that if our body is constantly coughing then theres definitely something wrong with our throat or lungs. Its the first red sign. However, if we talk about allergies then yes allergies can cause coughing. Our immune system is basically using coughing as a defensive action against anything that might have wandered into our bodies. People who have dust allergies are usually the ones who start coughing when they get an allergic attack. Meaning if your body inhales pollen or dust particles, it would rebel against it by coughing it all out.

While all of this is happening your body will release chemicals like histamine that would produce cold-like symptoms such as a stuffed or runny nose, sore throat, etc.

No : Consider Allergies

If the cough is persistent and does not go away after two weeks, its time to start thinking about other factors, which could include allergies, especially if symptoms include not only post-nasal drip, but itchy eyes, ears and throat.

At this point, we might try an antihistamine to see if it would dry up some secretions, Dr. Cameron says. Claritin and Zyrtec are dosed down for children as young as 6 months, but I dont like to give either to really young kids unless I am treating an allergic reaction. Or if its older kids, I want to know that I am treating allergic rhinitis, which can be seasonal allergies or environmental allergens.

A cough caused by allergies may be seasonal and usually there is no fever or body aches and its not contagious. And, it may only occur around the allergic trigger, like cats or tree pollen, says Jason Catanzaro, MD, a pediatric allergist and immunologist. But, very young children are less likely to have outdoor allergiesthey havent been around long enough to be exposed to pollens from grasses, trees and weeds, he explains.

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Hope Remains: The Treatment

Antihistamines are the most effective way to avoid an allergic reaction altogether or diminish the symptoms during an allergic reaction.

There are stronger substances that also help open the airways during an allergic reaction by relaxing the muscles. Among them are steroids and bronchodilators. These may have secondary effects, so they are advised only in severe cases of asthma.

It is recommended to drink plenty of water to lessen the risk of an allergic attack and to keep the throat clean of substances that may trigger one.

If possible, avoid the contact with the allergy-inducing substance altogether.

References

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Can Allergies Cause A Cough

Yes, and you can blame it on your immune system. When your body mistakes a substance like pollen or mold as a harmful invader, it sets off an intense response to try and flush it out, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology . During this process, your cells release histamine and other chemicals, which triggers an allergic reaction. Cue the cold-like symptoms, including a sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, and coughing.

Allergy coughs are typically caused by swelling or irritation of the airways, the AAAI says. And, if you develop post-nasal dripwhen the mucus hanging out in your sinuses trickles down the back of your throatthat can also cause a cough, Dr. Bassett says.

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Do I Ever Need To Worry About A Cough

Something important to remember: A coughno matter its causeshouldnt be your norm.

Colds usually run their course within a couple of weeks, which means a cough associated with a cold should go away in about three weeks time , according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. The length of an allergy-related cough will vary depending on how you’re treating it.

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But if you notice youre still barking after two months of symptoms, see your doc. You could either be dealing with an allergy youre not aware of or potentially suffering from another issue such as asthma , reflux, pneumonia, or bronchitis, says Dr. Bryson.

And if something is bothering you enough to disrupt your life, don’t put off getting it checked out. If nothing else, seeing a doc will give you peace of mind and maybe even speed up your recovery time.

How To Avoid Contact With Allergens

When you know the allergen thats causing your cough, the best thing you can do is avoid it. However, this can be incredibly difficult so here are a few ideas to help you out.

Animal dander if you have pets, avoid this allergen by having pet-free zones within your home. As you spend a lot of time in your bedroom this is a good place to start.

Dust mites these little allergens hide in bed sheets and carpets so to help keep them at bay, make sure you wash these things twice a week. You could also use allergy-proof bedding to lessen your contact with them.

Mould spores to prevent the growth of mould make sure you use extractor fans when cooking and washing.

Pollen use pollen counts to gain some control over you allergic rhinitis symptoms. When counts are high, stay indoors and when levels are low, its safe to go outside!

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What Causes Fall Allergies

When youre dealing with seasonal allergies, your immune system is trying to fight off a substance youre sensitive to by releasing histamine, which leads to unpleasant symptoms, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America . These irritants can include specific types of mold, pollen, and weeds, which all pick up toward the end of summer and can affect the way you feel come autumn.

Some specific allergens that are rampant in fall are:

Allergies And Asthma Attacks

If you have asthma, exposure to your allergens may trigger an asthma attack, narrowing your airways and making it difficult to breathe.

Always follow your doctors instructions for asthma treatment, including taking daily medications and using a rescue inhaler.

If youre struggling to breathe and dont have medication or your medicine isnt working, call 911 or go to the emergency department immediately.

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What Causes An Allergy Cough

These days when you get a cough, your first thought might be COVID-19. Or perhaps you assume you have a cold. While both these and other conditions may cause a cough, one cause you might not have thought of is allergies.

If you have a dry persistent cough that has lasted longer than three weeks, its very possible that allergies may be the culprit.

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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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Causes Of An Allergy Cough

An allergy is essentially the immune system’s inappropriate response to a substance that is otherwise harmless.

When exposed to an allergen, the immune system will produce a substance called immunoglobulin E that sets off a chain reaction, causing immune cells known as mast cells and basophils to break open and release histamine into the bloodstream.

Histamine is the main cause of allergy symptoms. It causes tiny blood vessels to widen and leak fluid into surrounding tissues. When this occurs in the nose and sinuses, it can lead to nasal congestion and a runny nose.

The cough itself is the result of a postnasal drip. This is when mucus drains from your nose into the back of your throat, causing an itch or tickle that leads to coughing.

How To Deal With That Nagging Cough

If youre dealing with a nagging cough that is lingering for days, weeks or months, youre not alone.

Coughing is one of the most frequent reasons patients see doctors, and it ranks in the top five reasons patients come to see us at the Ear, Nose and Throat and Allergy Clinic, said Christine Franzese, MD, an allergist with University of Missouri Health Care.

Coughing is part of the bodys defense against disease. It pushes out bacteria, mucus and foreign particles from the respiratory tract to protect the lungs from infection and inflammation. While coughing has a purpose, it can also cause its share of problems.

It can disrupt your sleep, affect school and work performance, it can even prevent people from being socially active or going places because they are so self-conscious, Franzese said.

A physician can diagnose the cause of the cough and identify the proper treatment. There are many reasons for lasting coughs. The most common causes for nonsmokers are postnasal drip, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease , chronic bronchitis and use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors for high blood pressure. Smoking is the primary cause of chronic coughing that can lead to more serious health problems, such as bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia and lung cancer.

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