How To Tell If You Are Suffering From A Cold or Allergies
Trying to determine whether you are suffering from an ordinary cold or allergies can be difficult at times because of the similarity of their symptoms. However, these two are actually very different ailments. You can also suffer from colds and allergies at the same time, making a diagnosis often difficult. It is also very important to determine which one of them you are suffering from so that you can get the right treatment.
Colds are caused by viruses and may be treated with the use of decongestants and sufficient rest. An allergy, on the other hand, is a natural response of your body’s immune system when exposed to allergens. The most common treatment for allergies is the use of antihistamines or nasal steroid sprays. You can also avoid suffering from allergic reactions by staying away from allergens, whereas it can be harder to avoid colds because you never know where the virus can come from.
Symptoms of Cold Vs Allergies
Cold vs Allergy
Deciding whether you are suffering from cold or allergies can actually be much easier than you think as long as you know which tell-tale signs to look out for. For instance, if you notice that you seem to be getting a cold at approximately the same time each year, then it’s quite likely that you may be suffering from a seasonal allergy instead.
In addition to this, there are some other symptoms that you should watch out for in order to determine whether you have a cold or allergies.
Common colds typically come with coughing, sneezing, runny or stuffy nose and a sore throat. Sometimes, there may also be some fatigue, bodily pain and a slight fever.
Meanwhile, allergies are usually manifested by itchy eyes, frequent sneezing and a runny nose. Allergies never come with fever or cold symptom aches and pains.
If the only symptoms that you have are a runny nose and sneezing, which are common to both ailments, you can still tell whether you are suffering from a cold or allergies by the color of the mucus. If the mucus is clear, it is probably an allergy; if the mucus is yellowish, it’s more likely to be a cold.
Finally, another way to determine whether it is a cold or allergies that is causing your sneezing and runny nose is the duration of the symptoms. A cold usually lasts no more than two weeks at the worst, while allergies can span several months. So if your cold doesn’t go away after a couple of weeks despite your regular use of medication, it might actually be an allergy. In this case, you would need to switch to an antihistamine instead of just an ordinary decongestant. Once you determine what it is that is annoying you, finding the appropriate cold or allergy treatment becomes so much easier.
Cold vs Allergies
