Sometimes our well-being leads us into a dead end. If it flows from the nose, the eyes turn red, you want to constantly sneeze, you won’t immediately understand that this is an allergy or SARS? How to understand what exactly happens in the body, because these ailments are treated differently? Further in the article we will try to understand in more detail how to distinguish allergies from colds in an adult or a child.
The role of immunity in an allergic reaction
In our country, it has long been customary for allergy sufferers to suspect weak immunity and try to strengthen it in every possible way with immunostimulating drugs, vitamins, etc. But the fact is that it is precisely these actions that help its symptoms to be even more pronounced. Therefore, in order to understand how to distinguish allergies from colds, you first need to understand how immunity works in the first case and why he declares war on harmless substances.
Allergy is a strong immune response to an irritant. That is, poplar fluff, ragweed pollen, fruits or vegetables, the body perceives as a danger and begins to fight them.
As it turns out, the general addiction to excessive personal cleanliness and sterility in the rooms, especially in the room of a small child, is guilty of this. And this, it turns out, can play a trick in the future - immunity, which is genetically programmed to live in a cave and contact with three billion microorganisms, is deprived of work and therefore simply “rushes” to anything that even slightly resembles an “enemy”.
So the allergy is formed. For many, it acquires a seasonal character - that is, at a certain time of the year (by the way, it is not at all necessary at the time of flowering) a person receives a set of symptoms similar to those of a cold.
Allergy features
And sometimes it’s quite difficult to understand how to distinguish allergies from colds, since their symptoms are very similar: sneezing, redness and swelling of the mucous membranes, runny nose, sore throat.
But the main difference is still there: with allergies, the temperature does not increase, and the mucus secreted from the nose remains transparent. The general condition is slightly impaired, and the appetite, as a rule, does not suffer.
In addition, with allergies, differences in the patient's condition are quite often observed. That is, depending on the presence or absence of contact with the allergen, his condition may suddenly change - for example, he can sneeze and blow his nose very much while on the street, and when he goes into the house, after some time it seems completely healthy. Viruses, of course, do not behave this way: they attack with enviable consistency.
What is common for colds
What is colloquially called a cold is the result of a viral or bacterial infection. It usually occurs against the background of hypothermia or a decrease in immunity due to existing chronic diseases and other factors.
By the way, how to distinguish a common cold from an allergy is usually not very difficult to understand. After all, acute respiratory viral infections is accompanied by very specific symptoms that are not present with allergies:
- muscle aches
- general malaise, headache,
- sore throat,
- temperature rise,
- the patient’s appetite is impaired,
- discharge from the nose has a greenish or yellowish tint.
By the way, a cold person does not sneeze too often, while an allergic person can give out whole “sneeze” attacks.
ARVI, as a rule, does not exceed 10 days (with complications - two weeks), and an allergic rhinitis can disturb for a month or more - depending on the contact with the allergen and the timeliness of taking the right drugs.
How to distinguish allergies from colds in a child
So, our passion for cleanliness and the desire to protect the child from germs, as mentioned above, led to the fact that modern children very often suffer from allergies. Their "starving" immunity perceives any microorganism as an enemy and declares war on it. By the way, it is proved that fair-skinned and fair-haired children are more prone to allergies compared to their dark-haired peers.
Of course, mothers are worried, trying to understand how to distinguish allergies from colds in infants. After all, he cannot describe his state of health, and unreasonable use of antiviral agents can aggravate the existing allergic reaction, which caused a runny nose and cough. Well, have to watch him.
With an allergy, the baby, as a rule, has reddened eyes, they turn sour, the eyelids become swollen, in addition, noticeably severe lacrimation. With a cold, this usually does not happen. Often these symptoms are also accompanied by skin rashes - and all this means that you should immediately consult an allergist to prevent a pathological condition from developing into a serious problem.
A few words about the dangers of an allergic reaction
Many, even learning how to distinguish allergies from colds, try not to pay attention to it. But this is a serious mistake! Untreated allergic rhinitis in more than 40% of cases develops into bronchial asthma. Not to mention the risk of Quincke's edema or anaphylactic shock.
If you have seasonal allergies, you need to visit a doctor a month before the start of a period that is dangerous for you and start taking the prescribed funds at least 3 weeks before the first manifestations of the pathology.
As a rule, a specialist prescribes not only general-action drugs, but also local antihistamines, the so-called cremons, which help significantly reduce allergic manifestations.
Once again on how to distinguish allergies from colds
What is the difference between allergies and colds, you probably already understood. And yet again, we list the main differences:
- allergy is characterized by itching (in the eyes - with allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis or on the skin - with urticaria);
- Nasal discharge looks different;
- elevated temperature is characteristic only for acute respiratory viral infections (although it may in some cases accompany urticaria and allergic dermatosis);
- sore throat, aches, weakness, headache - these are symptoms of a viral infection.
So, before you begin treatment, be sure to understand the true nature of your ailment. True, in some cases, allergies and colds can be related. How?
The relationship of colds and allergies
Everyone knows that viruses, affecting the mucous membranes and spreading in the body, can cause an immune response in the form of an allergic reaction. But it turns out that allergy, if not treated properly, can lead to the development of somatic pathologies - sinusitis or bronchitis.
For example, with an allergic rhinitis, swelling forms on the nasal mucosa, due to which part of the mucus has no outlet and accumulates in the maxillary sinuses. And here a favorable environment is already forming for the development of bacteria that cause sinusitis. Therefore, in advanced cases, even doctors can not immediately answer how to distinguish allergies from colds.
But if you do not allow this and ask for help in time, then it will be much easier to understand the situation, and the use of the prescribed funds will greatly facilitate your life and maintain your health. Do not be ill!