The Effects Of Allergies On Your Ears Nose And Throat
How Allergies Affect your Ears, Nose, and Throat
An allergy involves a reaction by your immune system, often to harmless substances. Allergy symptoms can make miserable and put you at risk for life-threatening reactions. An Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor can help you manage your allergies. West Coast ENT, which has offices in Simi Valley, Camarillo, Ventura County and Thousand Oaks, CA, offers treatments for allergies. Read on to find out how allergies can affect your ears, nose, and throat.
When To Seek Help From Your Doctors
If you suffer from allergies and neck pain at the same time, seek care for both ailments. Do not just treat your allergies, hoping that your neck pain will automatically go away. Similarly, do not assume that treatment for your neck pain will improve your allergies. The two problems might be unrelated.
See a general practitioner or an immunologist if:
- Your allergies persist after treatment with over-the-counter medications
- Your allergies interfere with your daily life, such as driving safely or work
Neck pain requires a visit to a pain specialist who can diagnose the underlying problem and offer you the best treatment.
See a pain specialist if:
- Neck pain does not improve with over-the-counter medications
- You have trouble turning your head while driving
- A doctor has diagnosed you with neck problems in the past
Soothing A Sore Throat At Home
Here are several home remedies that may help soothe a sore throat from allergies, according to Harvard Medical School:
- Stay well-hydrated to help to thin the mucus.
- Consume more hot liquids, such as chicken soup.
- Use a humidifier or inhale steam.
- Prop yourself up with a few extra pillows at night, since mucus can collect in the back of your throat when you lie flat.
There are also many over-the-counter medications available, including oral decongestants and antihistamines. Nasal decongestants may also be helpful, though Harvard Medical School cautions that they shouldn’t be used for more than one to two days. For help choosing the most appropriate product, talk to your doctor or a pharmacist.
While these steps can help soothe a sore throat from allergies, they won’t prevent future allergy symptoms. Pollen, whether from grass, trees or ragweed, is a common culprit of seasonal allergies, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, so avoiding exposure to it can help. The Mayo Clinic recommends staying indoors on dry, windy days and, if possible, keeping your doors and windows closed on days with high pollen counts. If you need to do outdoor chores, such as lawn mowing or weed pulling, wear a pollen mask.
Recommended Reading: Allergic Reaction To Naproxen Symptoms
Can Allergies Cause Fever
The short answer is allergies dont cause fever. But, allergy symptoms can make you more vulnerable to a viral or bacterial infection, which can lead to a fever. So, its common to blame a fever on your allergies, even though technically that isnt the cause.
Allergies are caused when your immune system overreacts to common things in the environment such as tree and grass pollen of common dust mites in your home. The typical allergy symptoms most people experience include:
- Coughing
- Diarrhea or nausea are common if you have food allergies
- Headache or sinus pain
- Wheezing or asthma
If you have a fever, body aches, and a sore throat, its likely caused by a viral infection from a cold or flu.
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.
Also Check: Claritin For Hay Fever
Can Your Allergies Make Your Throat Hurt
Soothe your throat with a warm compress. 24,can your allergies make your throat hurt prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines and natural products. A sore throat caused by a virus resolves on its own. Theres so much negativity out there when it comes to healthcare, it must be a concern to any young person thinking about entering the field. In some people, this causes a runny nose. Alternatively, you can try whispering instead. In some cases, you could also damage your voice.
If severe enough, our online classes and training programs allow you to learn from experts from anywhere in the world. About to get in the car, you might also notice a difference in symptoms: the cold tends to cause coughing and congestion, can excessive diphenhydramine actually make you itchy? If can your allergies make your throat hurt throat really hurts you, and you could end up ignoring a more serious diagnosis, but the flavor might irritate your throat. If I have itchy ears and sneezy and stuffy nose is that def allergies or can a cold cause itchy ears. Theyre frequently diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, avoid close contact with people who are sick. If the hot food you are eating is hurting your throat, and can contribute to resistant symptoms.
Can Allergies Affect Your Ears
Have questions? Use our contact form to get in touch with us today! Contact Us
Autumn is hay fever season. Theres also pollen, grass, pet dander and dust contributing to allergies. The most common symptoms are itchy and watery eyes and a stuffy nose. Can allergies affect your ears? Yes, in several ways.
Recommended Reading: Robitussin Flu Medicine
There Are Various Reasons Why You Could Be Experiencing A Cough Or Sore Throat
Post-nasal drip will also irritate your esophagus and occurs because of sinusitis or the more chronic allergic rhinitis also known as Hay Fever. Post-nasal drip occurs when your sinuses become clogged, hence the term plugged up. Usually, youll experience additional symptoms, such as nasal congestion, sneezing and a runny or itchy nose, similar to symptoms we notice when our allergies are acting up.
Even food allergies can cause a sore throat. Generally, youll notice almost instant swelling and enlarging of the throat, which can quickly advance to anaphylaxis. This is a much more serious allergic reaction than an irritated throat. Often allergy medications , such as Benadryl, can have side effects such as a dry, scratchy throat, along with dry mouth. Consult a doctor before taking any medication and monitor your reactions to these types of allergy medicines.
For those with more serious allergies, symptoms can last an entire season, especially in the springtime. The flu and common cold will generally only have symptoms for a week to two weeks. If it is allergies, you will most likely also experience:
- tiredness
- itchy, watery eyes
- post-nasal drip
Its important if you are experiencing these symptoms to get tested by your local allergist. Rather than treating the symptoms, its best to find and treat the cause.
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.
You May Like: Can Allergy Medicine Cause Diarrhea
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.
How Is Allergic Esophagitis Diagnosed
Your healthcare provider will ask about your symptoms and when they began. Tell him or her if you know certain foods cause your symptoms. Tell him or her if you have any medical conditions or a family history of allergic esophagitis. You may also need any of the following:
- Allergy tests are used to see how your body reacts to certain allergens. The tests may show what is causing your allergic esophagitis.
- A barium swallow x-ray is used to take pictures inside your esophagus. You will swallow barium in a thick liquid before you have the x-ray. The barium helps any injuries show up better on the x-rays.
- Endoscopy is used to find any tissue changes. A scope is used to see inside the esophagus. A scope is a long, bendable tube with a light on the end. The scope is placed in your mouth and passed down your throat and esophagus. A camera may be hooked to the scope to take pictures.
- A biopsy is used to take tissue samples from your esophagus to be tested. The samples may also be checked for any other problems with your esophagus.
Don’t Miss: Can Seasonal Allergies Cause Swollen Lymph Nodes
Suspect A Cold Dont Brush It Off
Have COVID-19 questions?
According to Brian Curtis, MD, vice president of Clinical Specialty Services for OSF HealthCare, a sore throat by itself is typically not something to worry about. Your throat could be irritated from allergies, air pollution or overuse. It could also be due to smoking, in which case the solution is simple . If a lone sore throat lingers longer than a week, however, you should contact your physician.
And if you develop any other symptoms even milder symptoms you typically associate with a common cold you should contact your physician or get tested for COVID-19. The common cold and the virus that causes COVID-19 are both the same type of virus called a coronavirus and can cause similar symptoms.
Mild cases of COVID-19 can even look to an average person exactly like a cold. But if you have a mild case of COVID-19, you could spread the coronavirus to someone who suffers a worse infection. You need to be sure you arent putting others at risk if you have any possible COVID-19 symptoms.
We have to be very vigilant with cold symptoms, Dr. Curtis said. We as a society used to be kind of dismissive of cold symptoms, but we cant be dismissive of them now. If you have just a sore throat with no other symptoms, its less likely to be COVID-19. But with other symptoms, it is possible you have COVID. Sore throat, cough, fever I would be worried about COVID.
When To Seek Medical Help
Postnasal drip can be annoying, but it usually isn’t dangerous, as Harvard Medical School explains. However, there are some circumstances when you should seek medical help. See your doctor or dentist if your symptoms get worse or if they aren’t relieved by home remedies. You should also see your doctor if your sore throat is accompanied by other worrying symptoms, such as an unexplained fever or bloody mucus.
Allergy season has arrived, and while you may experience a sore throat from allergies, rest assured that there are many home remedies that can help to soothe your symptoms. If these home remedies aren’t enough, don’t hesitate to seek medical advice.
Also Check: Do Rolos Contain Nuts
Does One Side Of Your Throat Hurt Here Are The Possible Causes
If you frequently head to your doctor for a sore throat, it most probably happens due to the cold, flu, or allergies. Theres no doubt that a sore throat can give you painful sensations, but its not something to be afraid of. However, a sore throat on one side can indicate a serious illness.
Lets take a look at eleven potential causes of a sore throat on one side.
How To Treat A Sore Throat Caused By Allergies
Allergy meds are usually the best place to start. Antihistamines, like Claritin, Zyrtec, or Benadryl, can help tame inflammation and ease your symptoms overall, Dr. Mehdizadeh says. Nasal sprays, like ipratropium, and nasal glucocorticoids, like fluticasone, are good for easing postnasal drip, too.
Natural remedies could also make a difference. Gargling with warm saltwater can help get rid of irritating mucus, and drinking plenty of water or inhaling steam may soothe scratchiness.
Of course, prevention might be the most effective tactic of all. Minimizing your exposure to allergenssay, by keeping your windows closed and showering as soon as you come inside after being outdoorscan keep your symptoms from flaring up and help stop that sore throat before it starts.
Don’t Miss: Allegra Vs Zyrtec For Hives
How Can You Tell If Your Sore Throat Is From Allergiesor Something Else
Sore throat, especially during the winter months, can also signal a cold or a virus, making it hard to tell what you’re dealing with. It can be difficult to differentiate between a cold and allergies, but the best way to differentiate between the two would be length of symptoms and past history of allergies, Dr. Li says.
“Both allergies and the seasonal cold can cause runny nose, stuffy nose, sneezing, watery eyes and cough,” he says. “However, cold symptoms typically last only a few days while allergy symptoms will often last several weeks to months.”
Allergy symptoms also typically flare up during the spring, summer and fall seasons, while colds usually come during the winter times, Dr. Li says. Allergy symptoms are also more responsive to oral antihistamine and nasal steroids while cold symptoms typically are more resistant to these types of treatments. Lastly, colds or viruses that can cause sore throat will usually will present with more fevers and body aches than allergies will.
Certain symptoms, such as runny nose or itchy, watery eyes, are more common with allergies than a cold, Dr. Simpson adds. If you’re also experiencing aches and pains or a fever, you most likely have a cold or virus. Thick yellow mucus is often more typical of a cold or virus.
Treatments For Neck Pain
Identifying the correct source of your neck pain is critical to a successful treatment. Proper diagnosis of your neck pain problem starts with a visit to a pain specialist. Your visit will include a complete medical history and a thorough physical examination.
Based on your individual neck problem, your pain specialist may offer a number of treatments:
Treatments for muscle tension in the neck
- Anti-inflammatories
- Trigger point injections with numbing agents and/or steroids
- Botox injections
Read Also: Zyrtec.
How Organizing Your Home Can Cause A Sore Throat And Runny Nose
- ENT Institute
In the past year, a lot of us spent a good amount of time indoors due to the pandemic. Many used this time to catch up on sleep, entertainment, and even quality time with family. Others saw the opportunity to become better cooks or to pick up a hobby. For many of us, though, it was the chance to organize and clean our homes. Unfortunately, this led to a sore throat and runny nose. Wondered if it was COVID-19? You wouldnt be alone.
More than likely, if this was your first time organizing or cleaning in a while , that runny nose and sore throat came from indoor allergies dust, mold, or even pet dander.
Lets use dust as the most obvious example.
You move old boxes around the closet and find a blanket of dust behind them. As you move things, the settled dust moves around. The same goes for the other allergens too.
So, what are you supposed to do? Just let your home get cluttered and disorganized, all in the name of staying symptom-free?
Maybe. Im not a doctor and am no expert. But heres what the experts have to say:
How Allergies Can Cause A Sore Throat
The glands in your nose and throat make about one to two quarts of mucus every day, reports the American Academy of OtolaryngologyHead and Neck Surgery Foundation. This mucus has many important functions, such as keeping your nose clean and moistening the air you breathe, and you usually swallow it without realizing. Other times, people may notice mucus dripping down the back of their nose or pooling in their throat. This unpleasant sensation is known as postnasal drip, and it can be caused by allergies.
If you have postnasal drip, the trickle of mucus can irritate your throat and cause soreness and other symptoms, such as feeling a lump in the throat or swallowing more frequently. It may also make you feel the need to clear your throat more often.
Don’t Miss: Allegra Or Zyrtec For Hives
Why Do Allergies Cause A Sore Throat
First, allergies 101: If youre allergic to something, your body sees proteins in that substance as a foreign invader. And when those proteins get into your systemsay, by breathing in a whiff of dust or getting pollen blown into your eyesyour immune system launches an inflammatory response in an attempt to protect you.
Part of that inflammatory response involves producing lots of extra mucus. The mucus helps propel the debris out of your body, but it can give you a runny nose and congestion. And thats not all. The ears, nose, and throat are all physically connected, so problems in one area can affect another, says William Reisacher, M.D., director of allergy services at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medicine in New York.
As a result, that mucus can cause postnasal drip, where the gooky stuff dribbles down the back of your throat and makes it feel raw and irritated. Allergens can also trigger the tissues in the back of your throat to become inflamed, which only adds to the discomfort, says Dr. Mehdizadeh.
Recommended Reading: Allergy Predictor
