Is it a common cold or your allergies? How to know the difference

23rd January 2019

Is it a common cold or your allergies? How to know the difference

With the winter months now in full swing, many of us will end up enduring a common cold, cough, or chest infection. But don’t make this one mistake. Symptoms for the common cold can be all too similar to allergies. If you’re still experiencing your symptoms well into the new year, it’s time to ask yourself: what’s really making you ill?

Symptoms

If your winter cold isn’t going away, especially after a week, your symptoms might point to allergies. Allergic rhinitis and the common cold (and other upper respiratory issues) both have similar symptoms. Symptoms such as a runny nose, sneezing, and fatigue are typical traits of both, but if you are also experiencing hives or itchy eyes, it might be time to consider another cause.

Another sign that your infection is actually allergic rhinitis is that cold side effects develop slower in contrast to allergies. However, symptoms like sore throats, fever, and aches may indicate that your cold has developed into a further infection. If this is the case, it’s best to talk to your GP. The above signs might also point to non-allergic rhinitis.

Triggers

Exposure to triggers such as pollen, food, or dust usually cause your body to react almost immediately. If you find yourself suffering from cold-like symptoms, you might have something else to point the finger at.

During the winter allergies can go wild. With Christmas trees, family gatherings, and plenty of food, it’s likely that you’ll come into contact with your fair share of allergens. So if you already know your triggers, be on the lookout.

Both colds and allergies affect the immune system, so it’s easy to see why you might confuse the conditions. While you may, in fact, be suffering from a bothersome but ultimately harmless cold, we highly recommend being tested for allergies. It’s better to be safe than sorry if one day the worst comes to pass. Don’t just stay warm this winter: stay healthy.

If you have been suffering from a ‘cold’ for more than a week, it could be a sign of allergic rhinitis. Find out once and for all why you feel unwell with the help of an allergy test and begin the new year allergy-free. Request an allergy test from us or visit our website.

Know your nose – what a runny nose really means

19th December 2017

Know your nose – what a runny nose really means

At this time of year, it’s not uncommon to start feeling the ill-effects of the cold. Puffy eyes, dry skin, and runny noses are par for the course in the deep midwinter. It can be tempting to reach for the first cure-all in range. However, a runny nose can come as a result of any number of ailments. The common cold has that name as it comes in so many variations. It’s essential to distinguish between what might be a temporary affliction and what might be a reoccurring reaction. Once you know why you’re ill, then you can understand how to treat it.

Allergic rhinitis

Allergic rhinitis is the most common type of rhinitis and conjunctivitis (that’s a runny nose and itchy eyes to you and me). It can actually be rather easily differentiated from the numerous kinds of non-allergic rhinitis through a quick history and physical examination. It may be seasonal, perennial, or occupational/environmental. Once you remember that you can trace almost all cases of allergic rhinitis back to one of these three triggers, it then becomes much easier to differentiate from non-allergic rhinitis.

We are all capable of having reactions triggered by non-allergic rhinitis. Rhinitis itself is simply an inflammation of the nasal mucosa. Or, to put it another way, your body reacts to a foreign agent by increasing the production of mucus. All in the name of defence! It’s always interesting to remind people that their increased mucus production isn’t because of the malady ailing them. It’s actually the body’s attempt to protect itself from further harm!

Fight the right way

While the reaction may be the same, understanding the root cause is the key to knowing how to treat it. Accurate diagnosis is important because therapies that are effective for allergic rhinitis, for example, nasal antihistamines, would exhibit a markedly lesser effect in cases of non-allergic rhinitis. As a systemic issue, further symptoms, such as general fatigue or headaches, may accompany allergic rhinitis. Equally, it may present itself more readily in people more susceptible to further allergic conditions; asthma, eczema, or sinusitis.

If you find yourself repeatedly suffering from such symptoms, it may be in your best interest to consider allergy testing. Advancements in the field of allergen-specific immunotherapy have proven to be immensely useful in providing relief for thousands of allergen sufferers, and can often alleviate vulnerability to allergens almost entirely after prolonged treatment. So the next time you feel a bit under the weather, don’t just reach for the tissues but take a minute to think about your health and how they may just be a better way.

If you’d like to take an allergy test in order to better understand your allergies, please book an appointment with our consultants.