How Is Each Condition Diagnosed
A common cold can usually be diagnosed with a standard physical examination and a review of symptoms. Your doctor may perform a rhinoscopy if they suspect a sinus infection.
During a rhinoscopy, your doctor will insert an endoscope gently into your nose and sinus cavity so they can look at the lining of your sinuses. An endoscope is a thin tube that has a light at one end and either has a camera or an eyepiece to look through.
If your doctor thinks an allergy is causing your sinus inflammation, they may recommend an allergy skin test to help identify the allergen causing your symptoms.
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When To Seek Help
It is not always easy to tell the difference between a cold and an allergy, so it is important to know when to see a healthcare professional. If symptoms last for more than 2 weeks or if they are severe, it may be a good idea to see a doctor.
According to the AAAAIs referral guidelines, people who have allergies should consult an allergist/immunologist if they:
- need to confirm the diagnosis of allergies or asthma
- require education and guidance in techniques for self-management of allergies or asthma
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.
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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.
Colds Dont Tend To Linger
A cold is generally more severe the first week and then will start to improve after 10 days. If you continue to get sick, you may be suffering from an allergy rather than a cold or viral infection.
With allergies, your symptoms may flare up at certain times throughout the year or when exposed to an allergen and can last for several weeks until that particular allergen has ended or been removed.
Its important to note that allergies arent always confined to the spring and summer and colds to fall and winter, Dr. Pero said. Although we do see an increased frequency of cold viruses in the fall and winter months, colds and viruses can occur year-round.
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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.
Allergies Do Not Cause Productive Coughs
Coughing is a common symptom of colds and allergies, but the two coughs are very different. A dry, barky productive cough is the trademark of a cold, and the phlegm or mucus it produces often turns greenish or yellowish hue as it thickens.
On the other hand, allergies can induce a cough with a tickling sensation in the throat. This is because allergens frequently irritate the nose lining, causing the nasal passages to produce watery mucus, which can drip from the nose and down the back of the throat, causing a tickling feeling. This condition is known as post-nasal drip.
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Are You Treating Multiple Symptoms
For a cold, get extra rest and drink plenty of fluids, including water, tea, or soup with lots of broth. For allergies, it can help to shower and change your clothes often because allergens cling to skin, hair, and clothing. For both colds and allergies, over-the-counter antihistamines, decongestants, and pain relievers may help you feel better, although they wont make a cold go away any faster. And no matter what ails you, avoid medications that treat multiple symptoms, especially if you dont have some of the symptoms the medication is meant to treat.
If home treatments arent working and you still dont feel well, connect with our Consulting Nurse Service.
How Long Do You Sneeze With A Cold
Early stage: The first signs of a cold are a sore throat, headache, chilliness, lethargy, and body aches. These symptoms can last one or two days before symptoms start to get worse. Peak: Runny nose or congestion, cough, sneezing, and low-grade fever can last anywhere from a few days to a whole week.
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Wintery Mix Of Viruses
Winter is the prime cold and flu season. Youre more likely to be indoors and closer to others when its colder outside. Weather also plays a role in the spread of viruses.
Cold and flu viruses survive better and are more transmissible if its cooler and if theres lower humidity, Gordon explains.
Experts are concerned that flu and COVID-19 cases may increase and overlap in the winter. Flu cases usually start to increase around October and peak between December and February. Being infected with flu and SARS-CoV-2 at the same time is possible, as is showing symptoms of both.
If youre sick with the flu, your doctor may prescribe antiviral drugs. Such drugs can make your flu milder and shorten the time you are sick. They work best if theyre used early in your illness.
The FDA has also approved one antiviral drug, called remdesivir, to treat COVID-19. Other treatments are in development and under review. No complementary approaches have been shown to be helpful for fighting off flu or COVID-19.
Fortunately, strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 also prevent the spread of flu and cold. Measures like masking and social distancing work for other respiratory viruses, as well as COVID-19, says Dr. Chip Walter, who studies vaccine development at Duke University.
Is It A Cold Or An Allergy Should You Call Your Primary Care Provider
Your child has a runny nose and a headache. You are worried it might be more than just a cold, but youre not sure. How do you tell the difference between a cold, allergies and a chest infection? Should you call your primary care provider?
Juhee Lee, MD, an attending physician with the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia , offers guidance to parents on:
- Recognizing the symptoms of different conditions that cause nasal congestion
- When to call your primary care provider
- What specialists can help
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How To Treat Colds Versus Allergies
If you have a cold, the best thing you can do is rest, drink plenty of fluids and treat your symptoms with over-the-counter medications until they subside. You should also stay away from others so they can keep from catching what you have. So, this is a perfect time to binge a show on Netflix.
If your cold isnt getting better after a few days, dont hesitate to reach out to your health care provider or find an urgent care to get your symptoms checked out by a professional. To find a Banner Health specialist near you, visit bannerhealth.com.
For allergies, drink plenty of fluids, take allergy medications to reduce symptoms and try to avoid the allergen in question, if possible.
If your allergy symptoms linger, talk to your health care provider about allergy testing to identify what allergies you may have and what treatment options may work best for you, Dr. Pero said.
Allergies Rarely Induce Throat Or Body Pain
Allergies rarely cause any severe pain, except for a possible headache due to sinus congestion. Your allergies can result in sore throat only if it is caused by coughing and post-nasal drip. But if youre experiencing sore throat and body aches simultaneously, its an indication that you might have a cold or flu.
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Is It Allergies Or A Cold
Cold and allergy symptoms often overlap, so its easy to mistake cold symptoms for allergies, and vice versa. Understanding the cause of your symptoms helps you choose the right treatment. It also gives you a better picture of your overall health.
Clinicians use the 5 factors below to help distinguish between colds and allergies.
Does Sneezing Mean You Are Sick
Sneezing can be an early symptom of a cold or allergy. Sneezing spreads viruses like a cold or flu by creating aerosol droplets containing the viruses that caused the infection, which may then be inhaled by healthy individuals. Sneezing happens when the mucous membranes in your nose or throat are irritated.
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Why Do We Sneeze A Sinus Infection Is More Than Just Clearing Out Dust From The Nose
Cats do it. Dogs do it. Humans do it, too, often two times in a row.
Naturally, were talking about sneezing. So, why exactly do we sneeze?
You probably believe that we sneeze so that our noses can get rid of irritants. While this is true, it is only part of a much more complicated story as Michael Aranda explains in the video. But first, you need to know the nose.
Our nostrils and accompanying nasal passages are separated by a wall called the septum. Behind the nose is a space called the nasal cavity, which connects to the back of our throats, and this is surrounded by sinuses, a system of air-filled pockets. The sinuses are lined with a thin layer of tissue that makes mucus, generally known as snot. Mucus prevents germs, dirt, and pollen from getting into our lungs. On the surface of the cells of the mucous membrane are microscopic hairs called cilia, which move all together like waves to clear mucus from the sinuses. All of these parts are necessary to filter the air we breathe into our lungs.
However, as Aranda explains, a University of Pennsylvania study investigated sneezing and discovered the nose is very much like a temperamental computer, requiring a reboot from time to time. Watch his SciShow Quick Questions video here.
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Cold Vs Omicron Variant
Many viruses that cause the common cold are different types of coronaviruses.
Recent research shows that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 may have mutated to acquire some genetic material from another cold-causing coronavirus.
This may explain, at least in part, why this strain appears to be more infectious and its symptoms appear to be milder and more similar to those of a cold.
Data from a COVID-19 symptom study, conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Kings College London, and Stanford University School of Medicine for the health science company ZOE, showed that Omicron symptoms tend to be cold-like mainly runny nose, headache, sore throat, and sneezing.
Omicron also appears to cause less severe illness in children under 5 years.
The symptoms of traditional COVID-19 like the Delta variant usually develop in 23 days .
Since a person cannot know what variant of COVID-19 they may have contracted, and the symptoms may be similar, any person who experiences cold-like symptoms should have a test for COVID-19.
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It’s Probably Allergies If:
Your mucus is clear or watery. And it will stay clear, instead of becoming thick or discolored like it can with a cold, says Michael Benninger, MD, an ear, nose, and throat specialist at the Cleveland Clinic.
Your eyes are itchy or watery. It’s rare to have itchy eyes when you have a cold.
Your symptoms stay the same. “Allergies may feel extra intense for the first day or 2, but you’ll have the same symptoms day after day,” Benninger says.
You’ve had the sniffles for more than a week. A cold usually clears up in 7 to 10 days, but allergies can last several weeks or longer.
Your symptoms show up only in certain situations. Find yourself sneezing every spring or fall? Those are common times for allergies. Another allergy tip-off: Being in a specific place makes you feel miserable — for example, in a house with a cat.
Allergies Dont Cause Fevers
Unlike the term hay fever, allergies typically dont cause fevers. Colds are much more likely to elevate your body temperature or cause a fever than allergies. However, you could have an allergy flare-up at the same time youre developing an infection.
Allergies dont cause infection but due to the inflammation, swelling and mucus that allergies can cause, this can cause mucus to get trapped in the sinuses and cause bacteria and viruses to grow, Dr. Pero said. This can result in sinus infections.
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What Causes Chronic Sinusitis
Sinus infections can be caused by a virus, a fungal infection, or bacteria. It can even happen simply during allergy season if your nose gets clogged up. That makes a sinus infection difficult to treat via medication because antibiotics only work on bacterial infections, though sometimes youll be given a steroid to help manage symptoms and swelling.
That leaves your immune system to do the heavy lifting. Most of the time, thats no problem. But when sinus infections are presented with favorable conditions, symptoms can linger.
In most cases, sinus infections thrive when theres an excess of fluid buildup in your sinuses. Some of the reasons why sinus infections might keep popping up include:
Nasal Polyps: These growths in your nasal passageway are usually non-hazardous. However, nasal polyps can block drainage out of your sinuses. That means fluid is more likely to build up and could result in repeated sinus infections.
In-home heating: Sinus infections are more common in winter. In part, thats because your in-home heating system tends to dry out your air. That dryness can diminish the mucus membranes that usually act as the first line of defense against infection.
Deviated nasal septum: If your nasal septum is deviated, you may experience difficulty properly draining your sinuses. This traps fluid in the sinuses and can cause chronic, prolonged, or more severe sinus infections.
How Contagious Are They
Colds are transmitted through virus droplets that a person sheds when they cough or sneeze when they have a cold.
An allergy is not contagious. If you have a sensitivity or allergy to a substance, you can develop a reaction. Someone who does not have the same sensitivity or allergy will not develop a reaction.
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How To Treat Seasonal Allergies
Many treatments for seasonal allergies are safe and accessible without a prescription, including over-the-counter decongestants, antihistamine pills, steroid nasal sprays and sinus irrigations, Dr. Hur says.
Head off the symptoms of seasonal allergies, by starting your medicine in advance of pollen season for best results. Keep your doors and windows closed on high pollen count days, and if you have air conditioning, use it. If you must go outside, wear a hat and sunglasses to minimize pollen getting into your eyes, then change your clothes when you get inside.
Causes Of Allergic Rhinitis
Allergic rhinitis is caused by an allergic reaction.
Common allergies include:
- pollen from trees, grass and weeds
- house dust mites
- animals such as dogs and cats
- wood dust, flour dust and latex
You’re more likely to get an allergy if people in your family also have them or conditions such as eczema and asthma.
Allergic rhinitis is different from non-allergic rhinitis, which is caused by things like having a cold, very hot or cold temperatures and humidity.
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How You Can Treat Allergic Rhinitis Yourself
You can often treat allergic rhinitis without seeing a GP.
If you can, try to avoid the things that trigger your allergies.
A pharmacist can also advise you about medicines that can help, such as:
- to unblock your nose
- salt water nasal sprays or solutions to rinse out the inside of your nose
You can buy nasal sprays without a prescription, but they should not be used for more than a week as this can make your symptoms worse.
If you have a high temperature or you do not feel well enough to do your normal activities, try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people until you feel better.
