A runny nose, congestion and sneezing are common in early spring. This time of year marks the cusp between allergy season and cold and flu season. Because of this timing, it can be hard to be sure which condition is causing your irritating symptoms, making it harder to effectively find relief. We’ve put together a quick guide that might help you determine whether it’s allergies or a cold.
Seasonal Allergies
An allergic reaction basically occurs due to mistaken identity: your immune system mistakes a harmless substance for a threat. In the case of seasonal allergies, that harmless substance is typically tree, grass or flower pollen. When someone with a pollen allergy inhales pollen, the immune system deploys chemicals called histamines to neutralize and remove the foreign invader. Histamines influence inflammation and mucus production, which is why you feel itchy, congested and sniffly.
Colds
The common cold, unlike allergies, is triggered by a legitimate threat to the body. A virus invades the cells in your respiratory system, which can damage them, and begins to reproduce. Adults come down with a cold, on average, two to three times per year. Just as with allergies, the immune system is deployed to destroy the threat, only this time it uses an army of white blood cells rather than histamines.
Similarities
Colds and allergies share many of the same symptoms, particularly those concentrated in the nose—sneezing, runny or stuffy nose and congestion.
Sore throats and coughing can be symptoms of both allergies and colds, but they are much more common with colds. Allergies can cause coughing or a sore throat, but less frequently.
Differences
Localization. One key difference between allergies and colds is where you feel symptoms. With allergies, because the allergen does not reproduce or spread throughout the body, symptoms are localized to the site of contact with the allergen, such as the nose and eyes. With colds, the virus reproduces and spreads, so you’ll feel symptoms throughout your whole body, especially in your throat and chest. This means that symptoms such as a wet cough, muscle aches or a fever are a good indication that it’s a cold, not allergies.
Mucus.While both allergies and colds can cause a runny nose, pay attention to the mucus. Mucus infected with a virus will be thicker and cloudy, yellow or green in color. With allergies, mucus will be watery and clear.
Skin conditions. Allergies can also trigger skin reactions, such as hives or eczema, when pollen comes into contact with the skin. Viruses do not have any such impact topically. Not everyone with seasonal allergies gets hives, however, so use this difference in conjunction with others listed here to help make your determination.
Speed. Did your symptoms occur all at once or develop slowly over a couple of days? If they developed all at once, it’s probably allergies, as the whole reaction is triggered upon contact with the allergen. With colds, symptoms will develop as the virus spreads, so symptoms come on more slowly. Many people first experience a sore throat, followed by nasal symptoms.
Duration. Allergies will last as long as you are exposed to the allergen, and then cease when you’re no longer in contact with it. So if you’re experiencing symptoms only in specific conditions (e.g., being outside), but they recur over the course of weeks or months, it’s allergies. Colds usually last about one to two weeks before resolving.
Learn More
If you have any other questions about allergies, allergy symptoms or ear, nose and throat health, contact ENT & Allergy Specialists – Ear Nose and Throat Physicians and Surgeons. Our expert staff can help you manage your symptoms and find lasting relief. Call today to schedule a consultation.