How to distinguish allergies from colds and flu

The off-season period can bring both positive and negative experiences. Now the weather is giving us surprises. It's hard to recognize when the seasons change and our immune systems have a hard time recognizing it too. We are beginning to be plagued by colds: acute respiratory viral infections, acute respiratory infections, rhinitis of various etiologies, pharyngitis, sore throats. This period is dangerous for allergy sufferers. Exacerbations begin, as a rule, precisely during periods of changing seasons. Many people ask the question: how to distinguish an allergic runny nose from a cold? But don’t you wonder how to start prevention in time?

Now a huge amount of imported pharmaceutical products have poured onto the shelves of our pharmacies. What they don’t recommend to us! But they are intensely silent about preventive measures. Why? There is a certain calculation in this. If people begin to engage in the prevention of respiratory diseases, then there will be no one to buy all these medications in pharmacies. Let's look at the causes and manifestations of allergic rhinitis. After this, everyone will decide for himself what is better for him: to get sick several times every year, or to carry out prevention once and forget about such diseases altogether for 8 years.

Symptoms of allergic rhinitis

When an adult or child gets sick with a cold, the first step is to correctly determine the cause of the disease and make an accurate diagnosis.

You cannot self-medicate and prescribe medications to yourself. A visit to the doctor is mandatory.

A runny nose occurs due to several reasons. The cause may be an infection. But allergies can also occur. How to distinguish an allergic runny nose from a normal one?

• If nasal discharge begins, the nature of the discharge is determined. With an allergic rhinitis, a small amount of clear mucus is released. In the case of an infectious runny nose, nasal discharge is profuse and yellow-green in color;
• The first symptom of allergic rhinitis is sneezing;
• If a person or child suffers from allergies, the disease begins suddenly, for no apparent reason;
• Nasal discharge is accompanied by hyperemia of the tissues around the nose and the eyes begin to water;
• The above symptoms are accompanied by swelling of the eyelids;
• After a certain period of time, itching begins to bother you. If allergy symptoms intensify, the itching spreads to nearby areas: ears, mouth, throat, face;
• The allergy is manifested by the addition of a sharp headache;
• Symptoms of loss of smell are rare but can occur;
• With long-term allergies, general fatigue occurs;
• The temperature may rise. It helps determine the type of disease.

General symptoms

Signs of allergies appear at any age; they are associated with individual intolerance to an irritant, which can be a food product, poplar fluff, plant pollen, animal fur, dust. If the cause of an allergic runny nose is not recognized and excluded in time, it can lead to complications: swelling of the larynx, severe forms of laryngitis and pharyngitis.

Symptoms of cold rhinitis appear after contracting a viral infection or hypothermia. The course and duration of the disease depends on the state of the immune system. This type of runny nose occurs in 3 stages, the most unpleasant of which is the acute phase. If not treated correctly, rhinitis can become chronic. Relapses occur against the background of concomitant diseases or when the body is physically weakened.

Allergic and viral rhinitis are characterized by similar symptoms:

• nasal congestion and swelling of the mucous membrane;
• sneezing;
• headache;
• general physical malaise.

It is difficult to distinguish the symptoms of an allergic rhinitis and a cold in the early stages. Therefore, you should not engage in self-diagnosis. Timely consultation with a doctor will help avoid complications and relapses.

Types of allergic rhinitis

Allergic rhinitis is called hay fever in the medical literature. In principle, this is a manifestation of the process of allergization of the whole organism. But, if the allergy mechanism is still weak and the body has enough strength to resist, then the allergy can manifest itself in its simple, mild form.

Allergy symptoms

Substances that cause allergies are called allergens. The signs by which hay fever can be diagnosed were mentioned in the previous section. The disease can be persistent if it occurs all year round. And also intermittent if the manifestations are periodic. The periods may coincide with the changing seasons, with the flowering of certain trees and grasses. Poplar fluff is especially troublesome.

An immediate allergic reaction develops quickly. A delayed allergic reaction can last for years. Which causes a lot of problems in terms of health and appearance especially. As a rule, such people have bad-looking skin. There may not be red spots on them, but the skin remains dry, pale, with an unsightly tint. Appearance suffers from this. Now this is especially true for young people 20-25 years old. Such phenomena sometimes cause various complexes that require medical intervention.

The most common allergens are:

• household dust;
• pet hair. In these cases, great lovers of the animal world acquire breeds of animals without hair;
• medications. Particular attention should be paid to Analgin, Ketorol, Loratadine. The latter is used in antiallergic drugs, but itself causes severe allergies;
• mold fungus (as a rule, this happens in advanced cases);
• products (many flavoring additives are added to them. They are the ones that cause allergic reactions).

Main groups of allergens

The main groups of allergens that provoke IgE-dependent allergies include:

How to distinguish allergic rhinitis from a cold

In terms of their symptoms, these two diseases may not differ from each other. To distinguish inflammation from manifestations of allergies, you need to know five signs of inflammation:

• hyperemia or redness of the site of bacterial infection;
• swelling of surrounding tissues;
• temperature increase. This sign is the most significant. Because with allergies, fever does not occur;
• pain. This is how the body signals to us that something is wrong with it;
• dysfunction of the diseased organ.

If you find all five signs of inflammation, then this is infectious rhinitis. Children often suffer from it. In inflammatory diseases, the general condition of the body suffers for the most part. There is a feeling of weakness, apathy, and lack of appetite. Weight loss.

14 major food allergens

Inflammatory diseases begin gradually. There is an incubation period. Allergic diseases begin to manifest quickly and acutely, for no apparent reason.

An allergic reaction is accompanied by itching on the skin and nasal mucosa.

Repeated sneezing begins. This is the body's defense mechanism. It simply tries to mechanically remove the irritant or isolate the mucous membrane from the viral carrier.

With hay fever, irritation of the mucous membranes of the eyes may also occur, accompanied by profuse lacrimation. This is often how an allergic runny nose manifests itself in a child.

Antiviral and antibacterial drugs do not help. The runny nose is still not getting better.

Redness appears on the skin. This will help those who do not know how to recognize an allergic rhinitis.

There is a family history of carriers of this disease. Can be inherited. Although the state of the immune system is inherited, not allergies and colds.

Differences in allergic rhinitis

Signs of an allergy to a particular substance may appear over several generations. Hereditary predisposition can provoke symptoms of a runny nose at any age. The disease is characterized by signs that distinguish it from viral rhinitis:

• Itching in the back of the nose. An allergic runny nose is accompanied by a sore throat. This causes the desire to scratch the nose, and the person makes an upward movement. This gesture (“salute”) indicates an allergy in its initial stage.
• Copious transparent discharge. An allergic runny nose is accompanied by mucus secretion: a liquid similar to water flows from the nasal passages. As the symptoms of allergic rhinitis worsen (the irritant is nearby but not yet identified), mucus production continues. The nose becomes swollen and red. Irritation appears above the upper lip.
• Tearing. Allergic rhinitis is characterized by redness of the mucous membrane of the eyes and the appearance of swelling due to poor circulation. Continuous sneezing may cause a burning sensation and “sand” in the eyes, which leads to the appearance of tears.
• No fever. The allergy occurs against a background of normal temperature in the absence of complications and concomitant diseases. The patient experiences general malaise, loss of strength, and lethargy.
• Dark circles under the eyes. An allergic reaction is characterized by the appearance of blue streaks under the lower eyelids. This indicates stagnation of venous blood due to inflammation of the nasal mucosa.
• Frequent sneezing. The shocks of air from the bronchi are shallow and occur in succession (during one attack a person can sneeze 10-15 times).

An allergic runny nose may stop with the use of medications, but if the irritant is not eliminated, the relief will be temporary. If allergy symptoms were caused by pollen or poplar fluff, the reaction disappears on its own as soon as this period of the year passes.

Photo: Efraimstochter / Pixabay.com

How to treat allergic rhinitis?

Few people pay attention to the presence of a person’s immune system. It can be compared to an antivirus, which is installed on a computer in order to protect it from uninvited guests: Trojans, spyware and malicious modules. No one even thinks about the fact that you need to worry about your immune system. They are trying to find out the type of virus or bacteria that they caught. Find the right antibiotic or antiviral agent. But they never think about the need to periodically reinforce their body with immunomodulators and immunostimulants.

Immunomodulators

and
immunostimulants
are divided into two groups: synthetic and natural origin.

Synthetic

You can buy it in pharmacies or at the sanitary and epidemiological station. In Soviet times, they were obtained exclusively through connections. They were not on sale at all.

In order for them to have a positive effect they need:

• A competent doctor who will know how and in what doses to use it;
• The dosage of such drugs is purely individual. Because no two organisms are alike. People are all different;
• Constant supervision by one specialist is required. The saying is appropriate here: Where there are six housewives, there is nothing to eat. If you start walking around the offices, then even a good drug will be of no use;
• Competent management of such a patient.

Immunomodulators of natural origin

.

They can be purchased at pharmacies, pharmacy kiosks and online companies. There is no need to be afraid of medications purchased from online companies. In terms of their effectiveness, they are even superior to other pharmaceutical drugs. Not everything, of course! But for the most part.

If the one from whom you buy the drug does not use it himself, if they only give you catalogs to read and do not share their impressions, then you should not buy from this person. This is a simple distributor. It is worth finding a person who is competent and knowledgeable about these products. He can advise you on the right drug. It is not a fact that a person will have a medical education.

A striking example of a natural immunomodulator is vitamin C. Someone will shrug their shoulders and say: Yes, pharmacies are full of it in all forms, but it’s of no use. He will say correctly. Real vitamin C is a complex bioorganic formula consisting of seven isomers. What lies on the shelf in pharmacies is just one isomer of this huge molecule. Tell me if a person has a body, a head, but one arm and one leg. Will he be able to be a full-fledged member of society? No. Rather, he will become a burden. He will need to be taken care of. So why should an incomplete vitamin formula be effective in treating immune system problems?

Now there are preparations that contain organic substances isolated from fruits, herbs, and trees. They are truly effective. But it takes time for their effects to fully manifest themselves. The effect will appear over time.

Now it is clear why in the last century doctors were taught to use antibiotics, various stimulating and desensitizing substances, but no attention was paid to the ingestion of vitamins and mineral complexes. On the shelves of pharmacies lay ineffective synthetic analogues.

As it became clear from the above, the allergen is first identified and eliminated. There is no need to try to change your place of residence. This will bring a lot of unnecessary and expensive hassle. And symptoms may appear in a new place of residence.

Then try to relieve all symptoms of allergic rhinitis.

There are excellent desensitizing drugs for this: Suprastin

,
Tavegil
,
Diphenhydramine
,
Diazolin
. It is not recommended to take drugs in which the active ingredient is loratadine, or a drug under that name. The problem will not go away, but will grow to unpredictable limits.

All drugs in this group have a hypnotic effect. Some to a greater extent, some to a lesser extent.

If the manifestation of allergies is severe, then do not neglect the drug, which has a hypnotic effect. All of its active principle will be used to extinguish the allergic mechanism. And it will appear only after your acute symptoms have subsided. The hypnotic effect will also appear if you drink it in a healthy state. That is why drugs of this group (Diphenhydramine)

drug addicts love it.

• During treatment, you should give up bad habits: drinking alcohol and smoking. This weakens the body's defenses.
• During diagnosis and treatment, you can wear a protective gauze bandage. But this attracts attention. Doesn't have much of a protective effect. Not aesthetically pleasing. They may disdain you.
• You must immediately seek help from a medical facility.
• Follow your doctor's instructions. Pass all tests. In a general blood test for allergic rhinitis, there will be pronounced eosinophilia.
• Do not panic.
• Pay attention to immunomodulatory and immunostimulating agents.

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Symptoms

Allergic reactions are called increased sensitivity to some, sometimes completely harmless, substance or biological object. It occurs due to a malfunction of the immune system.

The causes of allergies have not been precisely established. The mechanism is this: bacteria and viruses that enter the body are attacked by antibodies - immunoglobulin E, and are usually destroyed. However, there are often cases when the immune system mistakenly identifies harmless foreign substances and even “native” cells of the body and attacks them as microorganisms.

This article shows how to treat acute sinusitis at home.

The attack is accompanied by external symptoms characteristic of an acute inflammatory disease. Of these, the appearance of a red rash and runny nose are the most common.

Allergic rhinitis (the link shows the ICD 10 code for allergic rhinitis) is caused by two groups of allergens.

• Open sources are temporary, most often seasonal: pollen, mold spores. A runny nose in such cases is closely related to the appearance and spread of this factor.
• Closed - “work” all year round. Animal wool and skin, fluff, mold, etc. In this case, rhinitis lasts at least 9 months of the year, but can magically stop if the allergen is removed.

How Miramistin is used in the nose for a runny nose can be found in this article.

This direct, pronounced connection between the appearance of a substance and allergic inflammation is a clear sign of an allergic nature.

The video explains how to distinguish an allergic runny nose from a cold:

In adults

Allergic rhinitis, as a rule, begins violently, especially if there was close contact with the allergen. Unfortunately, this sign cannot be used to distinguish it from an inflammatory runny nose, since acute rhinitis has the same symptoms and the same rate of manifestation.

This article will tell you how to quickly and effectively treat a runny nose in children.

Symptoms of allergic rhinitis in adults are:

• frequent sneezing, usually in the form of attacks. It only intensifies over time;
• copious nasal discharge – clear, without traces of pus;
• itching in the nose, around the nose, eyes, sometimes even ears;
• constant nasal congestion, worsening at night. Drops, as a rule, relieve the situation for a short time;
• inflammation of the skin of the nose and the area around it, redness;
• excessive lacrimation, redness and itching of the eyelids;
• Swelling is often observed not only in the area around the nose, but also in the entire face.

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The intensity of symptoms is determined by the stage of the disease and the frequency of contact with the allergen.

• Mild – symptoms are mild, do not interfere with professional activities, and sometimes even do not bother you during sleep. This situation is typical for rhinitis caused by internal allergens with weak contact with the source - a neighbor's cat, for example.
• Moderate – constant congestion and sneezing provoke headaches and dizziness. Sleep is disturbed, which leads to irritability and lethargy.
• Severe - the inability to breathe normally interferes not only at night, but also during the day; migraines are added to dizziness. If a runny nose is accompanied by paroxysmal sneezing, then the latter cause real suffering to the patient. Possible nosebleeds and swelling of the mucous membranes.

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In severe cases, removal of the allergen no longer affects the development of the disease; special measures are required to suppress the allergic reaction.

To determine the nature of the disease, some research is being carried out. It is useless to treat allergic rhinitis with conventional anti-inflammatory drugs; diagnosis in such a situation is necessary.

Some of the examination methods are only applicable to adults.

• Visual examination – in addition to noting swelling and redness, the specialist uses a device to examine the inner surface of the nose.

  

• Patient interview aims to identify possible allergens and the connection between them and rhinitis. Thus, the presence of allergic rhinitis in relatives significantly increases the chances of a recurrence of this disease in the younger generation. The medications you take may trigger the appearance of characteristic symptoms, but with a different cause. Finally, the timing of the exacerbation, coinciding with the flowering of the plant, for example, is quite strong evidence.
• Skin test - a small amount of allergen is injected under the skin using an injection. If there is a reaction to it, then within 20 minutes the injection site will turn red and swell. The skin test is performed on patients at least 3–4 years of age.
• Nasal swab test evaluates the number of certain cells that indicate an allergic condition.
• Immunoglobulin analysis - allows you to detect an increase in the amount of immunoglobulin under the influence of some allergen. The test is less informative than the skin test and is carried out only when the latter is not possible.

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If the above methods do not give a reliable result, then nasal endoscopy, x-rays and even computed tomography are also performed.

In children

External symptoms in children and adults are no different:

• attacks of sneezing can be very strong and provoke swelling;
• clear nasal discharge . But if infection or inflammation occurs as a result of allergic rhinitis, the discharge becomes purulent;
• itching in the nose . Children are characterized by a reflexive rubbing of the tip of the nose with the palm of their hand, even if congestion is not observed at this moment;
• difficulty breathing, hoarseness, congestion ; With a long course of the disease, secondary symptoms develop: malocclusion, nasal sound, even snoring. A characteristic fold forms on the back of the nose due to rubbing with the palm of the hand;
• a “geographical” tongue is observed - light, clearly defined spots on the tongue.

Typically, allergic rhinitis develops in children aged 4 to 6 years. Infants and children under 3 quite rarely suffer from such disorders, since they rarely come into contact with the allergen for a long enough time.

You can find out how to treat a chronic runny nose by reading the article.

Treatment should be more urgent the younger the child. The fact is that allergic rhinitis provokes the appearance of asthma, and the earlier it forms, the higher the risk of the disease.

Diagnosing the disease is more difficult than in adults. Small children cannot help the doctor during the interview; skin tests cannot be taken from children under 3 years of age. The diagnosis is made based on the results of a blood test, parental observations, and nasal endoscopy in difficult cases.

This video will tell you how to distinguish allergic rhinitis from other types of runny nose.

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How are allergies different from colds?

Allergy is not a disease, but an immunopathological reaction of the body. It goes away within a short time after the body stops contacting the allergen, even in the absence of treatment. The infection on its own very rarely goes away and usually lingers and has complications if left untreated.

Allergies in children occur in the same forms as in adults. Children may react more severely to medications and food allergens, but in general the course of childhood allergies is no different from allergies in adults. By strengthening the immune system, a child may “outgrow” an allergy to certain irritants by the time puberty ends.

Here's how to tell the difference between an allergy and a cold in your child. The child feels well, eats normally, his behavior as a whole does not change and he does not have any complaints about his health due to allergies. The child is weakened, capricious, sleeps and eats poorly, gets tired quickly and complains of pain in different locations, his temperature rises due to infectious diseases.