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Check Your Symptoms
Symptoms of allergies and colds can be similar, but here's how to tell the difference:
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Colds
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Allergies
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Occurrence of symptoms:
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Symptoms often appear one at a time: first sneezing, then a runny nose, then congestion.
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Symptoms occur all at once.
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Duration of symptoms:
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Generally last from seven to 10 days.
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Continue as long as a person is exposed to the allergy-causing agent (allergen).
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Mucus:
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Often a yellowish nasal discharge, due to an infection.
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Generally a clear, thin, watery discharge.
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Sneezing:
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Less common than with allergies.
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More common than with colds, especially when sneezing occurs two or three times in a row.
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Time of year:
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More common during winter.
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More common in spring through fall, when plants are pollinating.
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Fever:
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May be accompanied by a fever.
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Not usually associated with a fever.
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Questions to Ask Your Doctor
- Can a test tell me which plant (or mold) is causing my allergy?
- Can my allergy be cured?
- Are there medications I can take?
- Are there lifestyle changes I can make to relieve my symptoms?
Did You Know?
- Hay fever is another name for fall allergies.
- Molds can also cause allergy symptoms when they release tiny reproductive cells, called spores.
- Tree pollen allergies strike in late winter to early spring, grass allergies can strike from spring through summer, and ragweed (which causes "hay fever") typically strikes in the fall.
- An allergen is a substance that your body perceives as dangerous, which causes an allergic reaction.
- An antihistamine is a medication that prevents congestion, sneezing and itchy, runny nose by blocking histamine (a substance released by your body's immune system after being exposed to an allergen.
- A decongestant is a medication that shrinks swollen nasal tissues to relieve symptoms of nasal swelling, congestion and mucus secretion.
Know Your Numbers
- 35 million- that's the number of people with allergic rhinitis, another name for seasonal allergies, according to NIAID
- Most people develop hay fever before age 30.