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
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 .
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.
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Could It Be A Cold Or Allergies
Like flu and COVID-19, colds are also caused by viruses and can be passed to others.
Symptoms of a cold tend to be mild. You may have a runny nose, cough, congestion, and sore throat. But you wont usually have the aches and fever that are common with COVID-19 and flu. Often, youll feel better in a couple of days.
Theres no cure for the common cold. Typical treatments include rest, fluids, and over-the-counter medicines. Some complementary treatments may help with cold symptoms, too. Taking honey may help with nighttime cough for children over 1 year old. Rinsing your nose and sinuses can help with congestion. You can use a neti pot or other nasal rinsing device. Be sure to only use water thats been properly processed, such as distilled or boiled water, not tap water. Nasal rinses can bring relief for both cold and allergies.
Allergies can cause a runny nose and sneezing. But theyre not contagious. If your eyes, nose, or ears itch, that also could be an allergy.
Exposure to things like dust, pets, and tree or grass pollen can trigger allergies, which are caused by the immune systemThe system that protects your body from invading viruses, bacteria, and other microscopic threats. overreacting.
Allergy symptoms tend to stop when youre no longer exposed to the cause. Unless you have asthma, allergies typically do not cause breathing problems. Allergies can be treated with drugs like antihistamines, decongestants, and nasal steroids.
How Do I Know If I Have A Cold Allergies Or Something Worse
The symptoms of the common cold are also similar to COVID-19 and the flu, but there are some differences. Fevers aren’t as common with a cold, for example, and COVID-19 and the flu are more likely to knock you out of commission, fatigue-wise, for longer than a cold would. You’re also less likely to feel “achy” when you have a cold — another example from the Mayo Clinic.
Like COVID-19, you may notice symptoms such as cough, sore throat and a runny nose. But common colds usually also come with sneezing, watery eyes and post-nasal drip.
Usually, common colds resolve on their own and don’t lead to further health complications and often can be treated with over-the-counter medication.
“If there’s fever, body aches or chills, that would make me more concerned about other respiratory illnesses — like the flu or COVID,” said Dr. Daniel Solomon, an infectious disease doctor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Since the COVID-19 vaccine helps prevent severe symptoms, more common signs of a cold can still be COVID, he added.
Because of this, Solomon has guided his patients and family members to pay close attention to their usual allergy symptoms and get a diagnostic test if they notice anything less common.
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What Are Colds And Allergies
They have different causes. You get a cold when a tiny living thing called a virus gets into your body. There are hundreds of different types that can get you sick.
Once a cold virus gets inside you, your immune system, the body’s defense against germs, launches a counter-attack. It’s this response that brings on the classic symptoms like a cough or stuffed up nose.
The viruses that cause colds are contagious. You can pick them up when someone who’s infected sneezes, coughs, or shakes hands with you. After a couple of weeks, at the most, your immune system fights off the illness and you should stop having symptoms.
It’s a different story with allergies. They’re caused by an overactive immune system. For some reason, your body mistakes harmless things, such as dust or pollen, for germs and mounts an attack on them.
When that happens, your body releases chemicals such as histamine, just as it does when fighting a cold. This can cause a swelling in the passageways of your nose, and you’ll start sneezing and coughing.
Unlike colds, allergies aren’t contagious, though some people may inherit a tendency to get them.
Is It Flu Covid
Staying Healthy This Winter
Feeling sick can be especially concerning these days. Could your sniffles be caused by COVID-19? Or the flu? A cold? Or maybe allergies?
Determining the cause of an illness can be tricky because many share some symptoms. They can leave you sniffling, coughing, and feeling tired. But there are important differences.
Figuring out whats making you sick can help you recover and prevent spreading sickness to others.
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Notice What Time Of Year It Is
A common allergy for many is hay fever, which is an allergy to plant pollen. It will usually strike from February through June when blooming plants distribute their pollen. But the exact timing can vary depending on when plants bloom and release pollen. To suss out if the pollen counts are high where you live, check out the pollen map on the National Allergy Bureau website.
If sniffles hit during the wintertime and particularly if people around you have similar symptoms odds are you have a cold or the flu, not allergies, Arthur says.
/7how To Know If It’s A Regular Cold
A common cold is not as concerning as a COVID or a flu. However, it can still cause discomfort.
A runny nose or nasal congestion are two of the most common symptoms of a cold. But it may also cause a sore throat, cough, headache, or other symptoms.
The incubation period for the common cold is typically between 1 and 3 days and most people recover from it in a week or 10 days.
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/7is Your Cough Covid Cold Or A Pollution Symptom
It is that time of the year when flu infections, common cold, allergies and other respiratory infections take a hold on people’s health. What’s worse, COVID is still lurking around among us. To add to the woes, people in major cities continue to cope with the pollution and the complications that arise with it.
That said, at a time when the pandemic is still ongoing, common cold cases rising and pollution fouling up the air, how do we differentiate between the symptoms of each, especially when it comes to a cough or having a congestions? Let’s find out…
How Is Asthma Triggered By Cold Air
If you have asthma and breathe in cold air, it can cause the lung muscles inside to spasm while also trying to keep your airways open. This spasming irritates the lining of your airways which can lead to symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheezing, and coughing. This can trigger your asthma symptoms and can cause flare-ups, especially due to the dryness in the cold air.
Cold weather is difficult for those with allergies and asthma because the winter often has fluctuations in air pressure which can cause sinusitis and flare-ups, along with rainy and windy weather that can bring out mold spores.
Additionally, winter brings flu, colds, and viruses that can inflame your airways. These illnesses also thicken the bronchial tubes, making it harder to breathe, making symptoms worse, or causing asthma flare-ups.
Spending more time indoors in the winter season can expose you to more indoor allergens, respiratory viruses, and irritants that can result in flare-ups. However, there are several ways you can help your asthma during winter.
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Allergy Symptoms And Treatment
An allergy is a reaction by your immune system to substances such as pet dander, pollen, or certain foods. Unlike colds, flu or COVID-19, allergies are not caused by a virus and are not contagious.
The symptoms of an allergy are like those of the common cold:
- sinus congestion
While the symptoms are similar, the watery, itchy eyes are often associated more with allergies. Unlike viral infections, allergies rarely cause fever, chills, nausea or vomiting, or aches and pains. If you are experiencing any of these, it is more likely a viral infection and not an allergy.
Treatment for allergies range from over-the-counter medications to a series of shots. If you are experiencing allergy symptoms, speak with your doctor. It is important to identify allergens that trigger a reaction so you can avoid them and know how to manage your symptoms in the future.
How To Tell The Difference Between A Cold And Allergies Symptoms
First, consider the symptoms. Colds and allergies both lead to sneezing, sniffling, and congestion, Kristine Arthur, an internist at MemorialCare Medical Group, says. But there are some key symptoms that set each illness apart.
Got an itchy sensation in your eyes or nose? That’s a tipoff you have allergies.
On the other hand, if you’re suffering from a headache, body aches, and a mild fever, those are signature symptoms of a cold, not allergies.
And while it might be gross, take a good look at your snot. If it’s thin and clear, you probably have allergies. But if it’s thick and discolored, then it’s probably a cold, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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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.
When In Doubt Stay Home
The next time you feel an itchy throat and dull body aches coming on with a fever, consider what might be ailing you before you go to work and risk getting your coworkers sick. Visit a doctor right away . Your office mates will appreciate it and you’ll be back on your feet faster.
And it’s always a good idea to practice behaviors that help protect yourself from the flu, as well as to make sure to get your annual flu shot and wash your hands regularly, especially during flu season.
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Colds Are Caused By Viruses While Seasonal Allergies Are Triggered By Exposure To Allergens Such As Seasonal Tree Or Grass Pollen Which Trigger Immune System Responses
Regardless of whether youre allergic to a specific item or not, its important to understand the difference between allergies and colds so that you can treat them effectively.
The key to knowing whether you have a cold or allergies is to identify whether youre experiencing itchy eyes, a runny nose, coughing, or sneezing.
There is a big difference between common colds and seasonal allergies. Common colds are caused by viruses, while seasonal allergies are triggered by allergen exposure, such as a pollen allergy.
Generally, colds last for one week, but some colds may last longer if the person is in poor health, the elderly or children. In the United States, colds cause more visits to the doctor than any other health problem.
Additionally, allergies are very common. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America estimates that there are about 50 million allergy sufferers in the United States and much more worldwide.
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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If Allergy Medicine Doesnt Work Is It A Cold
If prescribed or recommended medicine isnt working, there may be a few explanations.
- Allergy medicine will not treat a cold . So, if youve started taking allergy medication without a proper diagnosis, you may just have a cold
- If youve had a professional diagnosis, it could be that you need to try another medicine13. If this is the case, speak to your doctor and they may suggest immunotherapy or another treatment
Also, make sure youre using allergy medications correctly such as pointing nasal sprays the right way and following the directions on any packaging. You could have your local pharmacist help with drug administration if you are unsure how to use a product.
Could It Be Covid The Flu Or ‘just’ A Cold
Dashia Starr
Writer
Dashia writes for CNET. In the past, she wrote for several industries, including FinTech, home security, automation, and more. She loves baking bundt cakes and her favorite flavor is white chocolate raspberry.
Peter Butler
Writer
Peter is a writer and editor for the CNET How-To team. He has been covering technology, software, finance, sports and video games since working for @Home Network and Excite in the 1990s. Peter managed reviews and listings for Download.com during the 2000s, and is passionate about software and no-nonsense advice for creators, consumers and investors.
Jessica Rendall
Wellness Writer
Jessica is a writer on the Wellness team with a focus on health news. Before CNET, she worked in local journalism covering public health issues, business and music.
What’s happening
We’re in the middle of a particularly severe flu season. COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses, like RSV or the common cold, are also circulating.
Why it matters
More people will be gathering indoors, which means more opportunity for viruses to spread. It’s important to know what you’re sick with so you can isolate from others who may get severely ill from COVID-19 or the flu.
What it means for you
Many adults may mistake a case of COVID-19 or influenza as ‘just as cold’ or allergies. Symptoms may overlap, but noting what they are, getting tested and staying home when you’re sick can protect the people around you.
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If You Think You Have Allergies Get Tested
If you think you have an allergy, you can get tested with a skin or blood test, Dr. Hur says.
The allergist will do a blood test and/or prick your skin with different substances that may be allergens and note how your body reacts.
Once your doctor has confirmed the allergy, you may be directed to take antihistamines or be given prescription medication. If you have hay fever , allergy shots may desensitize you to it.
Whether you have a cold or an allergy, knowing which is which will help you treat it appropriately and relieve your symptoms more quickly.
Got Allergies How To Tell For Sure
Uncovering whether your symptoms are caused by allergies can be confusing especially when allergy season corresponds with cold season.
Unlike a cold, you can’t “catch” seasonal allergies, or hay fever, because theyre not contagious. However, similarly to a cold, your seasonal allergy symptoms are your immune system’s response to an allergen that you encounter in your day-to-day life.
Hay fever is worse during the months between March and September because this is when pollen count is at its highest levels, but it can occur any time of the year.
Seasonal allergies, however, may not be the only thing causing your symptoms. You could be affected year-round by outdoor allergies and non-seasonal indoor allergies.
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One Important Health Note About Allergies
Its important to note that everyones response to allergens are different. Some people may experience a severe reaction called anaphylaxis
Anaphylaxis is a potentially life-threatening response that can occur even with small amounts of exposure to allergens, that cause your body to react strongly. If your allergic reactions come on quickly and you experience difficulty breathing seek urgent care and medical attention immediately.
