Is Itchy Throat Allergies Or Cold

Is It Really Allergies Or A Cold Or Do You Have Covid

We should all keep in mind that we are still living in a global pandemic, and COVID-19 symptoms often mimic those experienced with allergies, the common cold and the flu.

Before assuming that youre experiencing a cold or allergies, particularly if youre off to work or a social gathering, its always wise to seek advice from your health care provider, Dr. Pero said. It doesnt hurt to also take an at-home COVID-19 antigen test, particularly if your symptoms are suggestive of a cold, and if your symptoms arent at a time when you typically experience allergies.

When Should You See A Doctor For An Itchy Throat

“Whenever there is something irritating the body, causing discomfort and/or persisting despite avoidance of the irritant,” it’s always smart to seek medical evaluation and treatment, Dr. Voigt says.

Once your doctor can properly assess, diagnose and treat the underlying issue, your throat symptoms should subside.

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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 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 .

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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Youre Inhaling Pollutants Or Irritants

“Poor air quality, filled with dust, smoke, smog or other irritants, can cause an itchy throat,” Dr. Voigt says.

While outdoor air pollution is a big problem for your pulmonary health, you’re not safe from irritants when indoors either. In fact, research has found that the concentration of many air pollutants may be fivefold greater âindoorsâ, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry .

And an itchy throat may be just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to possible health consequences of inhaling indoor air pollutants. Over time, exposure to poor indoor air quality can trigger or contribute to the development of infections, lung cancer and chronic lung diseases like asthma, per the American Lung Association .

âFix itâ: âObviously, you want to avoid air like this, so if you find yourself in poor air quality, you should try to get to an area with clean fresh air,â Dr. Voigt says. âIf that is not possible, wearing a respirator to filter the air is helpful, as well as wearing a mask.â

But what about indoor air quality in your home? To reduce irritants and pollutants inside your house, keep your space well-ventilated and invest in an air cleaner with a HEPA filter, according to the Environmental Protection Agency .

Other helpful tips for keeping your indoor air fresh, per the ALA:

Allergy Sore Throat Treatment

So, you have a sore throat, cough, runny nose and congestion. Have you caught a common cold or do you have allergy symptoms? Sometimes, it is even difficult for doctors to distinguish between the two, because their symptoms can be so similar. If you have persistent throat discomfort accompanied by other allergy symptoms, consider that you may have a sore throat due to allergies.

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How Is Hay Fever Diagnosed

Your healthcare provider will examine you, ask about your symptoms and evaluate you for other conditions, such as a cold or asthma. To measure your antibodies to specific allergens, your provider may take a blood sample and send it to a lab for testing. This blood test is called an immunoglobulin E test. It can detect all types of allergies, including food allergies.

Your provider may recommend a skin prick test to determine what allergens are causing your symptoms.

Colds And Allergies: Whats The Difference

Many of my patients are not sure how to tell the difference between a common cold and allergies. Its easy to get confused, since colds and allergies share some of the same symptoms. Heres how you can tell if your symptoms are related to a cold virus or allergies:

• Duration: Colds dont usually last longer than 5 to 7 days, but allergies can last as long as youre exposed to the thing youre allergic to, the allergen.
• Onset of Symptoms: Cold viruses take about three days to cause symptoms. The sneezing, watery eyes, etc., from an allergy can happen as soon as you are in contact with the allergen.
• Allergy Symptom Characteristic: Allergies never cause a fever or body aches. The following symptoms are more common in allergy sufferers : itchy, watery eyes clear mucus that doesnt turn yellow and symptoms that are triggered when seasons change.
• Cold Symptom Characteristics: The following symptoms are more common in cold virus infections : cough sore throat thick, yellow mucus and winter-time onset. Unlike allergies, the common cold is often accompanied by fever and body aches.

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You Have Food Allergies

Like seasonal allergies, you can also have an allergic reaction to food. Indeed, “an itchy throat may be the first indication of a allergy,” Dr. Voigt says.

When your body encounters an allergen, in this case, a certain food, it triggers an immune response. Signs of a food allergy may include, per the U.S. Drug and Food Administration :

• Loss of consciousness

Warning

Left untreated, a food allergy can be very dangerous. âA food allergy can trigger an extreme reaction called anaphylaxis, and this can be deadly,â Dr. Voigt says.

If you experience any of the above symptoms, stop eating the food immediately and seek medical attention. For these potentially life-threatening situations, you may be prescribed an emergency medication such as an EpiPen, an injection of epinephrine used to treat very serious allergic reactions.

âFix itâ: âIf a person senses an itchy throat after eating an item, they should avoid that food and see an allergist for testing ,â Dr. Voigt says.

The major food allergens include milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame seeds, according to the FDA.

If you have a known food allergy, make sure to always check the ingredients on foods you eat and carry an EpiPen, Dr. Voigt says.

Your Primary Care Provider Is Key

Unless you are experiencing a medical emergency, your primary care provider is your first point of contact for medical conditions as well as preventive medicine and annual check-ups and screenings. If you need a primary care provider, click here to learn more about providers who are currently accepting new patients.

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How To Avoid A Summer Cold

There are several measures you can take to reduce the likelihood of getting a cold in the summer:

Wash your hands and limit your exposure to sick people Colds can be transmitted from person to person and sometimes from touching contaminated surfaces with the virus.

Boost your immune system Get plenty of sleep, eat healthy, stay hydrated, and avoid excessive activity or stress. These are all ways to make sure your immune system is functioning at its best in the event it must fight off a summer cold virus.

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.

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Food Allergies Associated With Pfas

According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology, the following food allergies are associated with different types of pollen allergies:

• Birch: Cherry, celery, apple, hazelnut, almond, pear, peach, plum, kiwi, carrot
• Grass: Melons, orange, cherry, tomato, celery, peach
• Ragweed: Melons, cucumber, zucchini, banana, sunflower seeds

In order to treat this condition, youll need to avoid eating the offending foods in their raw form.

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.

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You Notice A Seasonal Pattern

If you’re the type of person who knows they get the same cold every March, it might be time to reconsider what the culprit actually is. “If you notice it’s seasonal like clockwork, and every spring or fall you get these symptoms, it might be allergy-related,” Dr. Parikh said.

That holds true even if your seasonal symptoms occur earlier than you might think of as allergy season, Dr. Rosenstreich said. “In the Northeast, for example, most people are not aware of the fact that the trees begin to pollinate even when there’s still snow on the ground. Depending on the weather, people can have allergy symptoms in February.”

Causes Of Itchy Throat Allergies

Allergy symptoms, including an itchy throat, occur when your immune system makes antibodies to fight off harmless substances that it thinks are a threat to your body. Many common allergic reactions are linked to the antibody immunoglobulin E .

Allergic reactions increase mucus production in your nasal passageways and sinuses. This can lead to postnasal dripmucus that drains into the back of your throat. The inflammation caused by the reaction of the IgE antibody can cause an itchy sensation in your throat.

Allergies can be caused by substances in your environment, certain types of food or food ingredients, materials such as latex, medications, and insect bites/stings. The most common allergens include:

• Loss of consciousness

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Its A Side Effect Of Your Medication

Throat irritation and swelling are somewhat typical potential side effects of certain drugs, Dr. Voigt says.

For example, one of the consequences of taking ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers â both are types of medications prescribed to treat high blood pressure â is a hacking cough, according to AARP. And this chronic coughing can contribute to an irritated, itchy throat.

âFix itâ: âIf a person develops throat symptoms after starting a new medication, they should call their healthcare provider and discuss this,â Dr. Voigt says. Your doctor may lower your dosage or prescribe you another drug.

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.”

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Itchy Throat And Allergies

Wondering why allergies often cause an itchy throat? Your immune system works to fight off diseases by dealing with toxins, bacteria, viruses, and other foreign substances that shouldnt be there – and produces antibodies to help get rid of these. When you have allergies, these antibodies also attack harmless substances and irritants, which can lead to common symptoms such as watery eyes, sneezing and an itchy throat.

Some of the most common allergens that can trigger and cause an itchy throat are:

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.

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Runny Nose Sneezing And Cough Is It A Cold Or Allergies

• Patient Resources

While patients with a cold and allergies generally have the same symptoms , they are different diseases.

Cold

A cold is caused by a virus that affects the upper respiratory tract . This leads to symptoms such as runny nose, nasal congestion, cough, sore throat, and sneezing. Patients with a cold are more likely to have general aches/pain and low-grade fever than patients with allergies. Nasal drainage is usually thick and yellow/green.

There are many different viruses that cause a common cold with the most common being rhinovirus. Symptoms usually last for 1-2 weeks. A cold is acquired when coming into contact with the virus from another person either by direct physical contact from a contaminated surface or from respiratory droplets from a sneeze or cough. Treatment includes pain relievers such as Tylenol, nasal decongestants, expectorants and cough suppressants.

Allergies

On the other hand, allergies are caused by an abnormal immune response in the body to an environmental substance. The substance can be inhaled, ingested or come into contact with the skin. The body is too hypersensitive to these substances which include such substances as pollen, dust, medications, bee sting and peanuts.

This is all mediated by a specific antibody in the body called IgE. Allergy treatment focuses on reducing this hypersensitizes by blocking certain parts of this process such as antihistamines block histamine and allergy shots decrease IgE levels.

Causes Of Itchy Throat

An itchy throat is a symptom that can be associated with many health concerns. Are you down with the flu? Do you have a cough? Or perhaps you ate or inhaled something that aggravated your throat?

In all cases, finding the cause of your throats discomfort is important if you want to treat it effectively and prevent your symptoms from worsening.

For example, if you suffer from allergies, an itchy throat accompanied with a shortness of breath, trouble swallowing, and chest pain, can be an indication of anaphylaxisa serious allergic reaction that requires immediate medical attention.4 If you have these symptoms or are suffering from an anaphylactic reaction, seek help immediately.

Other conditions such as rhinitis can also produce symptoms such as congestion, sneezing, and itching of the eyes and throat. In the case of allergic rhinitis, particles in the air trigger your bodys release of histamine, a chemical responsible for many of your allergy symptoms.5

Some of the common allergens that affect the upper respiratory system and your throat, include: 6

• Tree, grass and weed pollen

On the other hand, if your itchy throat is caused by a cold and cough, you should keep track of how long you feel unwell for. For the most part, colds tend to last a week, while allergies last for as long as your body is exposed to the allergens. 6

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