Are You Suffering From Allergies or a Cold? Here’s How to Tell the Two Apart
The symptoms of an allergy and a cold in children may be confusing since they are so similar. They might range from a runny nose and sneezing to a cough and sore throat. To uncover the major distinctions that might assist you in making a diagnosis, we talked with a medical professional.
Coughing, sneezing, postnasal drip, and other symptoms… Identifying the distinction between seasonal allergies and colds might be difficult at times. A board-certified allergist and immunologist at Columbia Allergy explains that there is a lot of overlap in the symptoms of different allergies. The ability to distinguish between the two is critical for accurate diagnosis and treatment, which may help your kid feel well sooner rather than later. Listed here are the reasons of allergies and colds in children, as well as helpful hints for distinguishing the two conditions from one another.
Are There Allergies in My Child?
In response to the introduction of specific chemicals (allergens) into the body, the immune system creates antibodies and histamine in an attempt to fend off the danger. An inflammatory reaction is elicited, resulting in sneezing and sniffling as well as itchy eyes and other allergy symptoms.
Allergies in children may be seasonal or year-round, depending on the reason. “An increase in pollen counts of particular plants in your region is typically the cause of seasonal allergies,” Dr. Jain explains. Weeds, grasses, trees, and various molds are all allergy triggers that change by season. Indoor allergens such as cat and dog hair, dust mites, mildew, and cockroaches, on the other hand, are often blamed for year-round allergies, according to Dr. Jain.
Allergies cause the following symptoms:
Sneezing
Clear, thin mucus with a runny nostril
Constriction of the nose and sinuses
Headache
Drip from the nose after you’ve sneezed
Sore throat of moderate severity
hiccups (often from postnasal drip)
Itchy, watery, or red eyes are all signs that something is wrong with your eyes.
Pressure in the nose
Nose irritant
Asthma symptoms are worsening.
Shiners that make you itch (dark circles under the eyes)
Is There a Cold in My Child?
A virus (often a rhinovirus) enters your body via your eyes, nose, or mouth, causing a common cold. “Once the virus enters your body, it replicates until your immune system or medication can combat it,” explains Dr. Jain. The following symptoms commonly occur within a few days after viral exposure:
A stuffy or runny nose is a common occurrence (the mucus could be yellow or green)
Coughing up a cold
Fatigue \Congestion
aches and pains
Sneezing
Fever of low intensity
Headache that is not too bad
How Can I Tell If I Have Allergies or a Cold?
Are you still unsure if your child’s symptoms indicate allergies or a cold? Here are six significant distinctions that may aid in the diagnosis and treatment of your kid.
Fever is more common with colds.
Dr. Jain notes that the symptoms of common colds and allergies are similar. Low-grade fever, however, is uncommon among allergy sufferers. Dr. Jain notes that colds are also associated with headaches, sore throats, and hoarseness.
Is It Possible to Get a Fever from Allergies?
Symptoms of allergies usually follow a pattern.
Many allergy sufferers have had previous reactions. “Depending on the kind of allergen, symptoms will develop in a predictable rhythm,” Dr. Jain adds. “In a particular geographic region, allergy symptoms produced by outdoor allergens (such as pollen, grasses, trees, and weeds) often appear around the same time each year.” Sneezing, sniffling, and itching eyes are common symptoms of ragweed allergies in children, for example.
Dr. Jain adds that “symptoms induced by indoor allergens (such as pet dander, dust mites, and mold) may develop at any time of the year.”
Allergies may last for weeks or months, depending on the severity.
Colds endure 10-14 days on average, whereas seasonal allergies may last weeks or months (depending on the prevalence of the allergen). “Children under the age of six have six to eight colds every year on average, whereas older children get two,” Dr. Jain says.
Allergy symptoms might be aggravated by certain chemicals.
Allergy symptoms usually worsen when the allergen is exposed more often, and they lessen as the allergen is exposed less frequently. Consider a youngster who is allergic to dust mites. Sneezing and nasal congestion are likely to occur while they’re at home, but Dr. Jain claims that these symptoms will subside when they spend time in the garden. As a result, allergy symptoms may be variable throughout the day and week.
Throughout the day, your cold symptoms won’t change much.
Cold-causing viruses multiply until your child’s immune system (or medicine) is able to combat them. “As a result, symptoms are less likely to change much from day to day or during the day,” Dr. Jain explains.
How to Avoid Getting Sick During Cold and Flu Season
Colds, rather than seasonal allergies, are more common in the winter.
“Common colds are more common in the autumn and winter months, but seasonal allergies are less common in the winter,” Dr. Jain explains. Seasonal allergies manifest themselves most often in the spring, summer, and autumn (but indoor allergies might pop up throughout the year).
When individuals come into contact with children, they should be reminded that their immune systems make them more vulnerable to pathogens.
This time of year, there is unending talk about making sure your loved one gets their flu vaccination and takes sick days when required. This is especially true in the autumn. Parents of newborns, on the other hand, wish to transmit a connected, but very distinct and vital message around this time of year: Please do not contact their babies, whose underdeveloped immune systems make them substantially more vulnerable to infections than older children. For this reason, some parents have begun to employ “No Touching” posters to deter strangers and loved ones from touching their children.
One such notice was posted on a child’s car seat by a mother in the famous Facebook group Breastfeeding Mama Talk last spring, according to the group’s administrator. “Any thoughts?” reads the caption. If this was in your child’s car seat, would you put it there?”
Thoughts? You’d be willing to put this in the car seat of your child, would you?
It received positive feedback from the majority of respondents. “Keep your hands off of other people and their kids. What a scary thing to see! Avoid being weird at all costs “a letter was written by a third party A third person said that they had attempted it themselves and wrote, “A premature baby has been gifted to me! This is working for me so far since I returned home from Picu! As for me, I maintain a tight rein on everything.”
Despite this, several commentators said that they preferred other strategies to the signs.. A writer described himself as “slapping hands.” “Just to give you an idea, my youngest child is 6 months old and my eldest child is 3. Unless I’ve specifically requested that you refrain from poking, pinching, grabbing or holding my child, please do not touch her at all. You don’t simply walk up to someone else’s infant and touch him or her because you’re worried about germs (any more).”
It’s seen as excessive by others. In the words of one commentator, “All of my children were delivered healthy and on time or after.” “Due to the size of our family, it was impossible to keep all of the germy children away from the house. Even after being exposed to many germs, both children are happy and healthy. Increased immunity is something I embrace!”
The number of “No Touching” signs available on Etsy, on the other hand, continues to grow.
It’s understandable that parents of newborns would want to take additional precautions to protect their child’s L.O. from viruses or germs, given that infants’ immune systems don’t develop until they’re around 2 or 3 months old. But the Cleveland Clinic reminds out that antibodies sent down to her kid via the placenta shortly after delivery enable the mother’s immune system to continue to defend her child. This protection against colds and flu is effective for the first few weeks of a baby’s life because the antibodies remain active.
But when it comes to a baby being out and about during a season when diseases are running wild, having a warning like this couldn’t harm. Whatever the case, if parents want to give it a go, they should.