Can You Have A Sore Throat With Allergies

S For Managing Your Sore Throat

The first step in managing your allergy-induced sore throats is visiting a professional. From there, we can determine the root cause of your allergy, and help you create a personalized plan for removing the trigger from your life and/or ways to manage your allergies when removing the trigger isnt a realistic solution.

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Is It An Allergy Sore Throator Something Else

A sore throat, especially in winter, can signal a cold or a virus, making it hard to tell what you’re dealing with.

It can be challenging to differentiate between a cold and allergies. Still, the best way to tell the difference between the two would be the length of symptoms and history of allergies, according to Dr. Li.

Tooth Infection Or Abscess

A dental abscess is a pocket of pus at the tip of your tooths root caused by a bacterial infection. An abscessed tooth can cause severe pain that radiates to your ear and jaw on the same side. The lymph nodes in your neck and throat may also be swollen and tender.

Other symptoms include:

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How To Treat Sore Throat From Allergies

It is important to treat your sore throat from allergies as it could lead to serious infections like asthma, ear infection or sinus infections.

You can relieve yourself from a sore throat trying these home remedies:

The salt in the water will help pull your mucus out of the congested area and soothe your throat.

Take a spoonful of honey if you have a cough behind your sore throat. It will help lessen the force and intensity of your cough.

Sucking on lozenges or hard candy helps soothe sore throats temporarily.

Drinking warm water with honey or broths will protect your throat from drying out. Avoid drinking caffeine as this will irritate your throat further.

Taking enough rest and sleep from physical exertion and your voice will help relax your sore throat and give it time to heal.

A neti pot helps flushes your sinuses out by pouring salt and water solution directly into your nasal cavity.

You can improve your air circulation by using a cool-air humidifier or taking a hot shower and inhaling the steam to relieve your sore throat.

You can also try over-the-counter medications to help relieve your sore throat symptoms:

Antihistamines like loratadine and cetirizine help block the effects of histamines and reduce the risk of allergy symptoms.

What Happens When Exposed To Allergens

An allergen is a substance that causes an allergic reaction. After youve been exposed to an allergen, your body identifies it as a threat, and your immune system kicks into high gear to protect against the perceived threat. Your body will release histamines into your bloodstream, which is what leads to allergy symptoms, such as a sore throat.

Histamines also trigger your body to produce extra mucus to keep your mouth, nose, and throat from drying out. Most days, you dont notice your bodys mucus production. But when your immune system releases too many histamines after being exposed to an allergen, this vigorous response leads to congestion, postnasal drip, and a sore throat.

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How Can I Prevent Colds And Allergies

To avoid catching a virus and spreading colds:

• Wash your hands frequently or use hand sanitizer.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes.
• Keep your hands away from your eyes, nose, and mouth, which are the areas of your body most vulnerable to germs.

To avoid seasonal allergies:

• Try to limit your contact with the allergens you react to.
• If your allergies bother you a lot, immunotherapy may help reduce or even completely prevent irritating symptoms.

The Common Sore Throat

Thanks to developing immune systems and group environments, kids can get up to eight colds a year, and sore throats are often front and center among the symptoms. If your child has a cold, they will likely suffer from other symptoms, such as a runny nose, congestion, and respiratory problems. In most cases, the viral infection, or common cold, needs to run its course and your child should start feeling better after 3-7 days.

If, however, these symptoms arent getting any better, or theyre heading in the opposite direction and becoming worse, this is a sign that there may be more at play than a simple cold. And if your child develops a fever thats above 101 and it persists, thats another clear sign that youre dealing with more than a cold.

Strep throat, mononucleosis, the flu, measles, and chickenpox all feature sore throats as one of the primary symptoms. And these are all conditions that benefit from medical attention.

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Sore Throat Caused By Allergies

Got a sore throat? Allergies might be to blame. Though many sore throats can be caused by viruses, such as the common cold or flu, or bacteria such as strep throat, allergies are an over-overlooked culprit. If you suspect your sore throat might be caused by allergies, heres what you need to know about treating the problem and alleviating the symptoms.

Can I Prevent Allergy Symptoms

If youre suffering from allergy symptoms you can try to limit your exposure to the allergens whenever possible. Some suggestions include:

• Stay away from cigarette smoke and pets
• If you have seasonal allergies, you can also keep your windows closed during the peak months when your symptoms flare-up
• If you do go outside, wear a mask to protect yourself
• Delegate allergy triggers such as mowing the grass
• Keep your home or office as clean as possible if you know dust mites are a problem
• If you have food allergies, avoid those foods
• Use over-the-counter allergy medications to help control your symptoms
• Use air conditioning in the car or home
• Use a dehumidifier to keep the indoor air dry in your house
• Select a high-efficiency filter for your HVAC unit and follow recommended maintenance to care for these units
• Clean your home with a vacuum that has a HEPA filter

There are all kinds of over-the-counter medications that you can try. They could potentially help for a time. Nonprescription medications could include:

• Antihistamines or decongestants
• Saline or nasal irrigation

However, you cant always avoid or limit your exposure to the things that cause your allergies, such as pollen, pet dander, or mold. Over-the-counter medications may not alleviate your symptoms. Fortunately, your doctor can help with medications to alleviate your symptoms.

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When Did You Begin To Feel Unwell

If you remember being around someone who had an upper respiratory infection a few days before you started feeling ill, you may have caught a viral infection. Viruses are spread by contact with sneezes, coughs, and contaminated surfaces such as door handles. Allergies, on the other hand, can begin immediately after coming in contact with triggers such as pollen. If you think you might be experiencing a seasonal allergy, check the pollen count in your area if levels are high, allergies may be the culprit.

Can You Get A Sore Throat From Allergies And What Causes It

Yep, and how you develop it all comes down to how your body reacts when its exposed to an allergen like pollen. If you have allergies, your immune system will react to being exposed to an allergen by releasing histamines, chemicals that cause allergy symptoms.

For many people with seasonal allergies, those histamines can cause a stuffy, runny noseand that can trigger post-nasal drip, i.e. mucus running down the back of your throat, explains Purvi Parikh, MD, an allergist with Allergy & Asthma Network. And that can cause irritation back there. Cue the sore throat. Often, first thing in morning it will be worse from laying down all night, Dr. Parikh says.

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Post-nasal drip isnt the only reason you might develop a sore throat from allergies, though. Coughing and mouth breathing can also mess with the way your throat feels, says Kara Wada, MD, an allergist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

Of course, not everyone with allergies gets a sore throat. Allergies can affect each of us differently, Dr. Wada says. There are some things that might make you more prone to struggling with a sore throat from allergies, Dr. Parikh says, including how severe your allergies are and the anatomy of your nose.

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What Are Your Symptoms

Both allergies and colds may cause a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, a cough, and fatigue. Itchy eyes, post-nasal drip, and dark circles under your eyes are more common with allergies. Symptoms more commonly caused by a virus include sore throat, cloudy or discolored nasal discharge, fever, and general aches and pains.

About Sore Throat And Ear Pain

Ears and nose are two of the important sense organs of the human body. It may be interesting to note that ears, nose, and throat have a connection between them which links all the three to one another. Infection or an allergy affecting any one of these three structures results in discomfort in all the three. The middle ear and the throat are connected by a narrow tube known as Eustachian tube. Sore throat almost always blocks this tube, which is a result of swelling of the tube, and this in turn results in increased pressure in the ear causing ear pain.

However, in some cases patients also experience one-sided sore throat and ear pain. This happens when the infection affects only one side of the throat. In such cases the pain only affects on one side leaving the other side pain free.

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What Are The Common Allergens

Avoid direct contact with your known allergens to reduce your risk of experiencing allergic symptoms, such as a sore throat or cough .

To reduce your risk of developing allergic symptoms such as a sore throat or cough, you will need to avoid direct contact with your known allergens.

Common allergens include:

How Do Allergies Cause A Sore Throat

In order to understand how allergies cause a sore throat, its important to understand how an allergic response happens.

The immune system works to protect your body from diseases, viruses and infections. But for people with allergies, the immune system mistakes harmless substances such as pollen, pet dander, dust mites, certain foods, mold and insect stings as a dangerous intruder. An allergic reaction occurs when your body is exposed to one of these harmless substances, known as an allergen, and the immune system overreacts.

In order to fight off the intruder, the immune system releases antibodies called Immunoglobulin E , which causes the cells to release histamine. Histamine increases mucus production and causes swelling and itching.

The excess mucus can result in postnasal drip, which is when mucus drains down the back of the throat, making it feel raw and irritated. In addition, inflammation can occur in the throat, adding to the discomfort.

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How You Can Tell The Difference Between Cold And Seasonal Allergy Symptoms

With both allergies and colds, its typical to have congestion or a runny nose, and to sneeze often. You may also feel tired and drowsy. But there are several other symptoms that dont often overlap between allergies and a cold. Here are some of the telltale differences between cold symptoms and allergy symptoms.

Itchy Eyes Ears Nose And Throat Usually Signals Allergies

Allergies have a significant itch factor. If youre experiencing itchy eyes, ears, nose or throat, its almost certainly allergies. Thats because the same allergens that can cause other symptoms, like sneezing and coughing, can also affect the lining of your eyes. This can lead to dry eyes, triggering redness, itching and burning.

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Strep Throat Symptoms In Children

While strep symptoms are basically the same for kids and adults, young children may have trouble communicating what they are feeling. Some clues that may prompt parents to check little throats for redness or white spots include:

• Trouble swallowing or refusing favorite foods
• Unexplained fever
• Unusual drooling

Strep is very painful and can lead to more serious illnesses, so call your childs primary care manager or stop by an urgent care facility to request a rapid antigen test if you discover strep symptoms.

If your child is diagnosed with strep, keep in mind that its very contagious. Watch the rest of your family members carefully for symptoms, and keep your child away from others for at least 24 hours after starting antibiotic medications.

Your child should finish the medication exactly as prescribed, or there is a risk of a stronger reoccurrence of the infection.

When Do People Usually Get Hay Fever

You can have hay fever any time of the year. Seasonal allergies occur in the spring, summer and early fall when trees and weeds bloom and pollen counts are higher. Perennial allergies can happen year-round. They result from irritants that are always around, such as pet dander, cockroaches and dust mites.

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Sore Throat From Allergies: Symptoms And Remedies

Among the allergy symptoms that can affect day-to-day life, getting a sore throat from allergies can be especially irritating. Together with a runny nose and itchy eyes, a sore throat can cause discomfort and disruption to your routine.

Allergy symptoms of a sore throat can include a dry, scratchy feeling in your throat. It could be caused by different kinds of allergies, whether seasonal or something in your home that is affecting you.

There are various steps you can take to help manage or even reduce the symptoms.

Find out more about potential sore throat allergy remedies with our helpful guide.

How Long Is Too Long To Have A Sore Throat

When not taking antibiotics, bacterial infections and the sore throats they cause may last anywhere from 7 to 10 days. In some cases, a sore throat from a bacterial infection may be due to a more serious illness. Be sure to follow up with your doctor if you have a sore throat lasting longer than 10 days.

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How To Help Prevent A Sore Throat From Allergies

You will need to try to limit your exposure to allergens if they cause you to have persistent discomfort or voice problems.

This is not only the best prevention method but will also reduce your intake of medicines when your allergies start acting up.

If you are suffering from allergies then try the following prevention methods to avoid getting a sore throat:

The best time for you to enjoy your outdoor experience is usually after a rainfall as airborne pollen gets cleared.

How Is Hay Fever Diagnosed

Your healthcare provider will examine you, ask about your symptoms and evaluate you for other conditions, such as a cold or asthma. To measure your antibodies to specific allergens, your provider may take a blood sample and send it to a lab for testing. This blood test is called an immunoglobulin E test. It can detect all types of allergies, including food allergies.

Your provider may recommend a skin prick test to determine what allergens are causing your symptoms.

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Why Allergies Cause Sore Throat

When you’re allergic to something, your bodys immune system mistakes it for something dangerous and starts making antibodies against it. Amongst other things, this encourages the production of more mucus.

Mucus is usually helpful, since it can help trap substances that enter the nose so they can be removed. However, excess mucus production can cause nasal and sinus congestion. That congestion can then drain into the throat, causing soreness and other symptoms.

Common allergens that can cause a sore throat from postnatal drip include:

Remedies For A Sore Throat Caused By Allergies

Allergens cant always be avoided, and sometimes youll end up with a sore throat after exposure. Fortunately, there are home remedies you can try to soothe a sore throat caused by allergies:

• Stay hydrated. Keeping yourself well-hydrated can help thin out excess mucus.
• Drink hot liquids. Tea with honey and soup broths may soothe a sore throat.
• Use a humidifier. Keep a humidifier running in your home. You may wish to add essential oils for their potential therapeutic benefits. One study found that lavender essential oil prevents allergy-related inflammation and mucus production.
• Keep your head elevated. If your allergy-related sore throat and congestion are keeping you up at night, try propping your head up with extra pillows to prevent mucus from collecting in the back of your throat.
• Over-the-counter medications. There are many allergy medications available OTC, including antihistamines and decongestants. These are available in nasal spray, capsule, and liquid forms. Talk with your doctor about the most appropriate medication for your symptoms.
• Gargle with saltwater. Add ¼ to 12 teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces of warm water to gargle as needed. This may reduce inflammation and swelling and remove mucus to relieve your sore throat.
• Throat lozenges. Sucking on soothing lozenges can provide fast relief from allergy-related sore throats caused by excess mucus and coughing.

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