How To Treat Allergy Cough

Symptoms Of An Allergy Cough

An allergy-related cough is typically “dry,” meaning that you won’t cough up any mucus or phlegm. In some people, the cough can become chronic, lasting for several weeks at a time.

Symptoms of allergy cough include:

• A persistent tickle or irritation at the back of the throat

Allergy coughs can sometimes be difficult to differentiate from other conditions like asthma or an upper respiratory tract infection.

With asthma, you are more likely to experience chest tightness, shortness of breath , and wheezing due to the narrowing of the airways of the lungs.

With infections like flu or COVID-19, you are more likely to experience fever, chill, and body or muscle aches. With COVID-19, there may also be a loss of taste or smell as well as nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

Drink Plenty Of Fluids

If you have a dry cough, then fluids are your friend. Staying hydrated helps ensure your throat stays moist so it can heal properly. Aim to drink at least 8 glasses of water per day, but more is better.

Room temperature water may help ease a cough than cold water. Go one step warmer for even better results. Hot water helps soothe a cough as well as sore throat, chills, and runny nose.

Diagnosing A Hay Fever Cough

When you have an infection, the mucus in your body starts to thicken due to the presence of a virus or bacteria. The type of mucus youre producing can help your doctor tell the difference between a hay fever cough and an infection. If you have thin mucus, as opposed to thick mucus that is difficult to cough up, allergies are usually to blame.

Your doctor will likely ask you about your symptoms as well as what makes them worse or better and when you started noticing them.

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What Causes Allergic Rhinitis

If you have allergies, your body releases chemicals when you are exposed to an allergen. One such chemical is called histamine. Histamine is your bodys defense against the allergen. The release of histamine causes your symptoms.

Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen. Pollen comes from flowering trees, grass, and weeds. If you are allergic to pollen, you will notice your symptoms are worse on hot, dry days when wind carries the pollen. On rainy days, pollen often is washed to the ground, which means you are less likely to breathe it. Your allergies can vary depending on the time of year:

• Allergies that occur in the spring are often due to tree pollen.
• Allergies that occur in the summer are often due to grass and weed pollen.
• Allergies that occur in the fall are often due to ragweed.

Allergens that can cause perennial allergic rhinitis include:

• Mold is common where water tends to collect, such as shower curtains and damp basements. It can also be found in rotting logs, hay, and mulch. This allergy is usually worse during humid and rainy weather.
• Animal dander.The skin, saliva, and urine of furry pets such as cats and dogs are allergens. You can be exposed to dander when handling an animal or from house dust that contains dander.
• Many allergens, including dust mites, are in dust. Dust mites are tiny living creatures found in bedding, mattresses, carpeting, and upholstered furniture. They live on dead skin cells and other things found in house dust.

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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Causes Of An Allergy Cough

An allergy is essentially the immune system’s inappropriate response to a substance that is otherwise harmless.

When exposed to an allergen, the immune system will produce a substance called immunoglobulin E that sets off a chain reaction, causing immune cells known as mast cells and basophils to break open and release histamine into the bloodstream.

Histamine is the main cause of allergy symptoms. It causes tiny blood vessels to widen and leak fluid into surrounding tissues. When this occurs in the nose and sinuses, it can lead to nasal congestion and a runny nose.

The cough itself is the result of a postnasal drip. This is when mucus drains from your nose into the back of your throat, causing an itch or tickle that leads to coughing.

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 .

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What Is Allergy Cough

An allergy occurs when a person reacts to a particular substance in the environment that is usually harmless to others. These substances are called allergens, and they are found in insects, pollen, food, dust, and medication.

An allergy cough happens when your immune system responds to an allergen. Your cough can tell you a lot about your condition, depending on your coughs tone, frequency, and duration.

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Questions To Ask Your Doctor

• Could anything else, such as a cold or the flu, be causing my symptoms?
• How do I figure out what Im allergic to?
• Is my allergy seasonal?
• I am allergic to _____. Am I at risk for any other allergies?
• What changes can I make at home to relieve my symptoms?
• Will any over-the counter medicines relieve my symptoms?
• What should I do if my symptoms get worse or dont respond to the treatment youve prescribed?
• Do I need to see an allergy specialist ?

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Symptoms Of Hay Fever

Growing seasons cause plants to bloom and molds to multiply, so youll usually experience your symptoms at the same time every year. The timing can help you confirm that your symptoms are due to hay fever and not a viral infection.

Symptoms associated with hay fever include:

Year-round triggers for hay fever include:

• pet dander, such as from cats, dogs, or birds
• spores from fungi and molds that grow indoors

These allergens set off a chain reaction after they get into your system. A hay fever cough is an aftereffect of postnasal drip.

Postnasal drip occurs when allergens irritate the lining of your nose. This triggers your nasal passages to produce mucus, a sticky substance thats supposed to remove harmful or dirty particles from the air. Mucus associated with allergens tends to be more watery than the mucus your body produces when you arent sick or experiencing allergies. This watery mucus drips out of your nose and down your throat. This tickles the throat and leads to a hay fever cough.

This cough usually comes with a constant tickling feeling in the throat. If youre exposed to your allergen when youre outdoors, your coughing will most likely be more frequent in the daytime.

However, your cough will generally be worse at night. This effect is largely due to gravity. During the day, you stand and sit up more than at night. Mucus cant drain as easily at night when youre lying down.

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.

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Can Allergies Give You A Cough

If you are sensitive to pollen, animal dander,mould spores or dust mites and then breathe in these things, they can cause irritation at the back of the throat. In order to remove these things the body triggers a cough.

Allergies can also bring about a problem known as the postnasal drip. As allergens irritate the nasal passages, inflammation can arise. In order to address this problem more fluid is produced by the nasal membranes. This is an attempt to trap and flush out unwanted allergens but, on occasion, the fluid builds up and then drips down the back of the throat. Once again this can give rise to coughing.

Why Allergies May Cause A Cough

A cough is your bodys reflex to an allergen or irritant in your throat or airway.

Allergies can also cause a cough due to postnasal drip.

Normally, mucus in your sinuses drains through your nose.

But if your sinuses are swollen due to allergies and cant drain, mucus may drip into your throat and trigger a cough.

Its also common for people with seasonal allergies to experience postnasal drip at night when theyre lying in bed.

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Risks And Side Effects

While most of the supplements and tips described above can provide natural allergy relief safely, there are some precautions to keep in mind.

When allergies are mild or moderate, they are usually not very threatening and go away with time. However, severe allergic reactions can be dangerous and require medical attention.

Anaphylaxis is the term for a severe allergic reaction, which can happen due to contact with food allergens, drugs/medications or insect stings. Symptoms usually affect the lungs, blood vessels or heart and can include:

• trouble breathing

If you or your child experience these symptoms, head to your doctor or the emergency room right away to prevent complications.

What can you do for severe allergies? Your doctor may need to prescribe allergy shots or prescription asthma medications, such as bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids.

Discuss these options with your health care provider, and consider trying the natural allergy relief remedies described above in addition to using medications.

Symptoms Of An Allergic Cough In Children

The main feature of an allergic cough in children is that it has a clinical picture, which in some ways resembles a cough in acute respiratory diseases. That’s why it is often taken for the sign of a cold or ARVI.

However, an allergic cough, as a rule, begins at normal body temperature. At the same time, the child feels unwell: becomes listless, easily irritated and more capricious. Attacks dry, tearing larynx painful coughing occur unexpectedly, mostly at night. Coughing can be accompanied by itching in the throat and nose, sneezing and a slight runny nose. With prolonged bouts of coughing, a child may start expectoration of clear phlegm, but it does not become easier for him. The child breathes with a whistle and complains of chest pain when coughing.

The main zone of allergic inflammation, the manifestation of which is an allergic cough in children – larynx and trachea, and this allergic laryngotracheitis. If

Defeat allergen inflammation is localized in the pharynx, then the doctors diagnose allergic pharyngitis. Allergic laryngitis is determined by inflammation of the larynx, allergic tracheitis – in the inflammatory process in the trachea, allergic bronchitis – in the bronchi.

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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.

Can Allergies Cause Coughing

Yes. Coughing is often a sign that you have a virus or an infection, like a cold or theflu. But it also can be caused byallergies. If you dont have an illness but have a chronic cough longer than three weeks, the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunologystates that it could be allergies.

If you notice that you cough more at certain times of the year, like during spring or fall, or when youre in a specific setting, such as a damp basement or a home with a cat or dog, allergies may be to blame.

How do allergies trigger coughing?

Allergies can cause irritation and swelling of your bodys airways. Allergies can also cause your body to make extra mucus called postnasal drip. This additional mucus trickles down your throat from your nose, often leaving you with a scratchy throat and dry cough.

You may also have other symptoms that go hand-in-hand with allergies, including:

• Itchy and watery eyes
• Dark circles under your eyes

Removing allergens like dust, pet dander, mold,pollen and smoke from your home may help. If not, it might be time to look at other options.

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Diagnosing An Allergy Cough

Only your healthcare provider will be able to say for certain if you have a hay fever cough or an allergy cough triggered by dust mites, pet dander or mold. Try to remember when and where it first developed. You may find it useful to keep an allergy diary. Jot down if its worse at a certain time of the year , inside or outdoors.

Your healthcare provider will look at your medical history. They may give you a physical exam and listen to your chest. Whistling sounds when you breathe out is one of the tell-tale signs of lower respiratory symptoms. A skin prick or blood test may help make the diagnosis. If it is allergy, your healthcare provider will discuss ways to avoid your trigger and your treatment options.

What Does A Patient With Chronic Cough Do Before Coming To An Ent Doctor

Most of the patients that come to me in OPD, tell me the same story that how they have tried almost everything, but their cough has not been completely cured.

All these patients give the following same history

The most common investigation advised for a patient with chronic cough is to get a CHEST X-RAY done.

Chest X-ray is a very important investigation and should be done in a chronic cough patient as it rules out Tuberculosis or any obvious lung pathology.

If there are positive findings in the Chest X-ray like evidence of any infection or any pathology, the patient should visit a RESPIRATORY MEDICINE SPECIALIST.

But WHAT TO DO, When the Chest X-ray, as well as chest examination, is NORMAL.

Thats when they are referred to an ENT doctor.

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How To Prevent Coughing

In addition to learning how to treat a cough, you might want to learn how to prevent them in the first place.

To help protect against flu, make sure you get your annual flu shot, usually starting in October. Other steps you can take include the following:

• Avoid coming in contact with others who are sick. If you know you are sick, avoid going to work, school, or other places where youll be in contact with others so you wont get others sick.
• Cover your nose and mouth whenever you cough or sneeze, preferably by using a tissue or coughing into your elbow.
• Drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated.
• Clean the common areas of your home, work, or school frequently. This is especially important for countertops, toys, or mobile phones.
• Wash your hands frequently, especially after coughing, eating, going to the bathroom, or caring for someone whos sick.

With allergies, you can help reduce flare-ups by identifying the allergens that affect you and avoiding exposure to them. Common allergens include:

How To Relieve Your Allergy Symptoms

If youre convinced your cough is a result of allergies, start by making a few changes to decrease your exposure to potentially irritating substances: Keep your windows closed, shower as soon as you come inside after being outdoors, brush your pets after walks, or invest in an air purifier for your home.

Allegra 24-Hour Allergy Tablets

OTC medications are also a great starting point, Dr. Bassett says. Oral antihistamines, like Claritin and Allegra, help block the histamines that set off symptoms in the first place. Nasal steroid sprays, like Flonase, can help clear a stuffy nose if youre dealing with that, too.

But the right treatment depends largely on the cause for a cough, Dr. Bassett says. If you dont see any improvement after taking these steps, reach out to an allergist, who can give you a proper diagnosis, help you identify your triggers, and potentially recommend prescription allergy meds or allergy shots.

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How To Treat An Allergic Cough

If for some reason you have an allergic cough, treatment with conventional antitussive drugs is absolutely useless. They are not even able to stop a coughing attack, since they have a completely different mechanism of action. To understand what needs to be done in such cases can only be realized by realizing how an ordinary cough differs from an allergic one. First of all, it is necessary to treat allergies and prevent its reappearance.