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.
Your Eyes Are Watering: Allergies
If you find yourself battling bouts of itching and watering eyes, you’re most likely not dealing with a cold but, instead, are suffering from allergies. While it can be tempting to relieve the itch with your fist or fingers, Dr. Shah urges patients to keep their eyes as clean as possible. “Try rinsing out your eyes with water and using allergy drops whenever they’re nearby,” she says.
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.
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Differences Between Colds And Allergies
Besides differences in symptoms, there are three other ways to tell whether you have a cold or allergy:
Start With Some Home Remedies For Cold And Allergy Symptoms
When you start feeling icky, some simple home remedies can provide temporary relief. For starters, try to get more rest. Both allergies and colds can cause tiredness, so listen to your body and take it easy.
Also, take advantage of saltwater to soothe irritated nasal passages and scratchy or sore throats.
For your nose, use a neti pot. A neti pot can be picked up at any local drugstore or online, and typically comes with packets to mix with warm, distilled water to create a saltwater solution to pour through your nasal passages.
For your throat, simply mix a quarter or half teaspoon of table salt into an 8-ounce glass of warm water. Take a sip and gargle for a few seconds like you would with mouthwash. Then spit and repeat until the solution is gone. You can do this a couple times a day.
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Allergies Do Not Result In Fevers
People frequently question if allergies might result in a fever. Allergies cannot cause fever nevertheless, you may have an allergy outbreak in connection with an infection-related fever. For example, allergies can lead to sinus problems because they often cause runny noses. Sinusitis happens when mucus gets stuck in the sinuses and lets germs or viruses grow and spread.
However, a cold can cause a fever. The temperature of someone with a cold may fluctuate, but it usually is below 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Another key difference is that a cold can be contagious, while allergies are not.
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.
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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.
A Sore Throat: A Cold
One of the best ways to tell the difference between allergies and colds is the presence or absence of a sore throat. “Colds are viruses that affect the upper airway,” Dr. Tong explains. “The virus can spread to the entire respiratory system including the throat, causing soreness. However, allergies are more associated with a raw feeling in the back of the throat rather than painful soreness.”
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How To Know For Sure If Its A Cold Or Allergies
There are no tests necessary for the common cold. If you cant diagnose a cold yourself, Dr. Lee can help you come to the right conclusion and make sure you have what you need to reduce your symptoms until your cold goes away.
Meanwhile, you can treat the cold symptoms you have with over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen or acetaminophen, tea with honey for a sore throat, and staying well hydrated and well rested.
If you have symptoms of allergies, Dr. Lee can perform a series of skin tests to identify the precise allergen. Once we find the culprit, Dr. Lee develops an immunotherapy treatment to help build your bodys resistance to the allergens so you can eventually overcome your allergies.
Whether you have a cold, allergies, or any other health concerns, you can count on Dr. Lee and our team here at Woodstock Family Practice & Urgent Care to provide you with a quick and accurate diagnosis so you can get healthy and stay healthy.
Learn Some Of The Differences Between Allergies And A Cold
While colds and allergies can have similar symptoms, here are some questions to help you tell if you should consider reaching for some Claritin® or curl up with a bowl of chicken noodle soup and binge watch your favourite shows:
1. How quickly did your symptoms strike?
Allergy symptoms tend to hit all at once when you come into contact with an allergen . Symptoms of a cold usually appear one at a time and develop slowly over a few days.
2. How long have you had symptoms?
Colds typically run their course within 7-10 days. Allergy symptoms can last weeks or months, and will be present as long as you are exposed to the allergen. If your cold symptoms last longer than 10 days, talk to your doctor.
3. What colour and texture is your mucus?
Runny nose and sneezing are common symptoms of both colds and allergies. But you can often tell the difference by looking at the colour and texture of your mucus. If you have allergies, your mucus will typically be clear, thin and watery. If you have a cold, the mucus from coughing or sneezing may be thick and yellow or green. Yellow or green mucus could indicate an infection requiring medical attention.
4. Do you have body aches and pains?
Colds may come with slight body aches and pains. Allergies are not usually associated with body aches and pains.
5. What time of year is it?
REFERENCES
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Allergies Do Not Cause Fevers
People often wonder if allergies can cause a fever. The answer is no. Allergies cannot cause a fever, though you could have an allergy flare-up at the same time youre experiencing a fever from an infection. For example, since allergies tend to cause stuffy noses, theyre also considered risk factors for sinus infections. Sinus infections happen when mucus gets trapped in the sinuses, allowing bacteria or viruses to grow.
With a cold, your temperature can run warmer, but typically it will be less than 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
How To Treat A Cold
The best treatment for the common cold is to rest and drink plenty of fluids. However, there are other treatments that can help relieve your symptoms as your body fights the cold virus. These may include:
- Over-the-counter medications such as decongestants, cough syrup, or pain relievers.
- Using SinuSonic, saline solution, or a neti pot to relieve sinus congestion and clear your nasal passage.
- Gargling with salt water to soothe a sore throat.
- Get plenty of sleep.
Important note: Decongestants are stimulants and can make it difficult to fall asleep. If you are stuffed up and congested, using non-drug decongestants close to bedtime can help you get the sleep your body needs.
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When Symptoms Hit: Allergies
While your cold might seem worse in the morning or night, you pretty much struggle all day long. Allergies are more linked to place: “Allergy to cats or dogs, for example, are typically apparent because they only occur when around the animals or their dander,” explains Gary Gross, MD, an allergist-immunologist at Texas Health Dallas. “If someone walks into a house with a cat and starts sneezing, an individual should suspect an allergy to cat dander.” Additionally, you may notice an increase in symptoms when you’re outdoor versus indoor, since grass, pollen, and weeds in the air may heighten exposure to seasonal allergies.
How To Tell The Difference Between A Cold And Allergies
Autumn is upon us. Our kids are back in school, and there are fall festivities aplenty. With the leaves changing and the cooler temperatures, Texas is beautiful this time of year, but some folks dont feel their best. The change of seasons raises this question: Do I have a cold or allergies?
At Allergy & ENT Associates, we want to help you understand how to tell the difference between a cold and allergies. You will discover the best treatment options to pursue by understanding how the two differ from one another. When armed with a clean bill of health, you can get back to enjoying the fall season in the Lone Star State.
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How To Treat Allergies And A Cold
Allergies are caused by your body’s immune system responding to a commonplace trigger, like pollen or cat dander. To fight off the trigger, your immune system releases chemicals called histamines that cause an allergic reaction.
To treat allergies, you’ll need to either avoid the trigger altogether or take medications, like antihistamines, to counteract your immune system’s response. Antihistamines help by blocking the effect of histamines, hence the term antihistamine. This, in turn, helps relieve your symptoms.
“Some people need to stay on antihistamines long term if they have year-round allergies,” Arthur adds.
A cold is caused by a virus. There’s no cure that can treat the virus, but there are medications that can relieve your symptoms. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen can help alleviate pain and reduce your fever, while decongestants will reduce congestion. Get rest and drink a lot of fluids.
Whats The Difference Between Hay Fever And A Cold: Symptoms Of A Cold
There are additional cold symptoms that are uncommon with allergies. If youre also experiencing any of the following, its more likely that you have a cold:
- Aches and pains, which can include pressure in the face/ears.
- Raised temperature, fever or sweating.
Aches and fevers are associated more with colds than allergies. Although the throat can be affected with an allergy or common cold, the feeling is often different its usually sore with a cold, and itchy with an allergy. The same goes for eyes colds or pollen allergy symptoms can include watery eyes, but theyre more common with an allergy, when they also tend to be itchy.
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How To Treat Allergy Symptoms
Whether you use prescription or over-the-counter drugs, or even more holistic solutions, there are plenty of ways to relieve your allergy symptoms. Here are a few of these ways:
- Allergy medication including antihistamines or decongestants that are available either over-the-counter or by prescription.
- Eye drops for watery or itchy eyes.
- Natural, drug-free methods to relieve nasal congestion- including saline solution, a neti pot, or SinuSonic.
You cant control whats in the air, but you can reduce your exposure to some allergens like dust mites and pet dander. This can help keep you below your threshold for allergy symptom relief. Here are our tips to help you allergy-proof your home.
Remember, allergens arent the only cause of allergy symptoms like sneezing, itchy eyes and a runny or stuffy nose. Non-allergic triggers like cigarette smoke can trigger your symptoms and those cant be treated with antihistamines for relief.
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 Colds Vs Allergies
Since the symptoms of colds and allergies are similar, so will their treatments. “For most run-of-the-mill allergy or cold symptoms, the treatments are about the same, so it really doesn’t matter too much if you try to tell them apart,” Dr. Rosenstreich said.
The main difference is that allergies won’t affect others. “With a cold, you probably don’t want to go into work and make everyone else sick, whereas with allergies, people will just tell you not to come near them, but you’re not actually contagious,” Dr. Rosenstreich explained.
Both allergy and cold treatments are what’s called symptomatic, Dr. Rosenstreich added, meaning they won’t make the issue go away. They’ll only treat the symptoms that are making you miserable. Experts typically recommend over-the-counter oral decongestants and antihistamines as well as nasal sprays to reduce inflammation and congestion in both cases, Dr. Parikh said.
If you’ve got a coldor another virusthat’s causing body aches or a fever, you might also want to try something to ease the pain and lower your temperature, like acetaminophen or aspirin, Dr. Metcalfe added.
While getting plenty of rest can help you get over a cold, it won’t do much for allergies. However, be sure to drink plenty of fluids, no matter your issue. “Dehydration makes allergies and colds worse,” Dr. Parikh said. “Fluids help relieve congestion.”
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.
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Allergy Symptoms Typically Last Longer And Have A Pattern
If you have allergies, the symptoms will usually flare up at specific times of the year when allergens to which you are susceptible are prevalent. For instance, if you have an allergy to tree pollen, your allergy symptoms will manifest in early spring. This also indicates that your allergy symptoms may last for several days or weeks until the season ends.
On the other hand, viruses that cause the common cold are present throughout the year, so its possible to acquire a cold at any moment. However, the likelihood of becoming sick is highest during the winter season. And compared to allergies, the average duration of a cold is one week.
Visit An Urgent Care Fairfield Clinic
If you arent sure if you have allergies or a cold or if the symptoms are severe, its best to go to an urgent care Fairfield clinic and see a doctor for a professional diagnosis and a treatment plan.
And if you dont treat your allergy symptoms immediately, they can lead to sinus or respiratory infections. They could also make it harder for you to control your asthma if you have one.
A common cold can also get worse if not treated in the soonest possible time. So, if youve been sick with a cold for more than a day or two, you should visit an urgent care clinic in Fairfield for reliable treatment.
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Allergies Vs Cold: Heres How To Tell The Difference
A runny nose, sneezing, and coughing are all signs of a coldbut also of allergies. The two common conditions, which have similar symptoms, can affect both children and adults, but the treatments are quite different. Therefore, it’s important to understand the difference between a cold and allergies to seek proper medical care.
We asked a team of experts to share their tips on how to recognize the telltale signs of a cold versus allergies so you’ll know what to do when you’re sick.
