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, and you can’t immediately figure out what it is - an allergy or SARS? How to understand what exactly is happening in the body, because these ailments are treated in different ways? Later in the article we will try to understand in more detail how to distinguish an allergy from a cold 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 in every possible way to strengthen it with immunostimulating drugs, vitamins, etc. But the fact is that these actions just help her symptoms to be even more pronounced. Therefore, in order to understand how to distinguish an allergy from a cold, you first need to understand how the immune system works in the first case and why it declares war on harmless substances.
Allergy is a strong immune response of the bodyto the irritant. That is, the body perceives poplar fluff, ragweed pollen, fruits or vegetables as a danger and begins to fight them.
As it turns out, the blame for this is the general predilection for excessive personal cleanliness and sterility in the premises, especially in the room of a small child. And this, it turns out, can play a cruel joke in the future - the immune system, which is genetically programmed for life in a cave and contact with three billion microorganisms, turns out to be deprived of work and therefore simply “rushes” at everything that even slightly resembles an “enemy”.
This is how an allergy is formed. For many, it becomes seasonal - that is, at a certain time of the year (by the way, not necessarily at the time of flowering), a person gets a set of symptoms similar to those of a cold.
Features of allergies
And sometimes it is quite difficult to understand how to distinguish allergies from colds, as 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 rise, and the mucus secreted from the nose remains transparent. In this case, the general condition is slightly disturbed, and the appetite, as a rule, does not suffer.
In addition, with allergies, there are often changes in the patient's condition. 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 heavily while on the street, and when he enters the house, throughfor a while, it seems to be completely he althy. Viruses, of course, do not behave like this: they attack with enviable regularity.
What is characteristic of a cold
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, ARVI is accompanied by very specific symptoms that are not present with allergies:
- feeling sore muscles,
- general malaise, headache,
- sore throat,
- temperature increase,
- the patient's appetite is disturbed,
- Nose discharge is greenish or yellowish.
By the way, a person with a cold does not sneeze too often, while an allergic person can give out whole bouts of "sneeze".
The course of SARS, as a rule, does not exceed 10 days (with complications - two weeks), and allergic rhinitis can disturb for a month or more - depending on the existing contact with the allergen and the timeliness of taking the right drugs.
How to distinguish an allergy from a cold in a child
So, our passion for cleanliness and the desire to protect the child from germs, as mentioned above, has led to the fact that today's children often sufferallergies. Their "hungry" immunity perceives any microorganism as an enemy and declares war on it. By the way, it has been proven that light-skinned and fair-haired children are more prone to allergies compared to their dark-haired peers.
Of course, mothers are worried, trying to figure out how to distinguish an allergy from a cold in a baby. After all, he cannot describe his state of he alth, and unreasonable use of antiviral agents can aggravate the existing allergic reaction that caused a runny nose and cough. Well, you'll have to watch him.
When a baby has an allergy, as a rule, reddened eyes, they turn sour, the eyelids become swollen, in addition, severe lacrimation is noticeable. With a cold, this usually does not happen. Often, these symptoms are also accompanied by skin rashes - and all this means that you should urgently contact an allergist in order to prevent the pathological condition from developing into a serious problem.
A few words about the dangers of an allergic reaction
Many, even after learning how to distinguish an allergy from a cold, 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 angioedema or anaphylactic shock.
If you have seasonal allergies, you need to visit a doctor a month before the start of a dangerous period for you and start taking the prescribed funds at least 3 weeks before the first manifestations of the pathology.
Howas a rule, the specialist prescribes not only general drugs, but also local antihistamines, the so-called cramons, which help to significantly reduce allergic manifestations.
Once again about how to distinguish an allergy from a cold
What is the difference between an allergy and a cold, you probably already understood. And yet, once 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;
- high temperature is typical only for SARS (although it can in some cases accompany urticaria and allergic dermatosis);
- sore throat, aches, weakness, headache are symptoms of a viral infection.
So, before you start treatment, be sure to understand the true nature of your illness. True, in some cases, allergies and colds can be related. How?
Communication between colds and allergies
Everyone knows that viruses, affecting mucous membranes and spreading in the body, can cause an immune response in the form of an allergic reaction. But it turns out that allergies, if not properly treated, 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 does not have an exit and accumulates in the maxillary sinuses. And there is already a favorable environment forthe development of bacteria that cause sinusitis. Therefore, in advanced cases, even doctors cannot immediately answer how to distinguish an allergy from a cold.
But if you do not allow this and seek help in time, it will be much easier to sort out the situation, and the use of the prescribed funds will greatly facilitate your life and preserve your he alth. Don't get sick!
