did you know
How to Tell the
Difference:
Common Cold or
Seasonal Allergies?
by Dr. Judith Feick, Nemours duPont
Pediatrics, Pike Creek
As your kiddo is sniffling and sneezing like crazy, it
can be hard to decipher whether it’s just a common
cold (or other upper respiratory virus) that will
soon pass, or if it’s the product of seasonal allergies
(sometimes called “hay fever” or “seasonal allergic
rhinitis”) that may need treatment. Though kids
usually develop seasonal allergies by 10 years old
and experience the worst symptoms in their early
20s, even kids who’ve never had seasonal allergies
before can develop them out of the blue. Here are
some clues to help you and your child’s doctor
figure out what’s going on.
THE SYMPTOMS
Symptoms for both allergies and
the common cold can include a
runny or stuffy nose, sneezing,
fatigue and coughing. It’s easy
to confuse the two. In addition to
those other signs, tell-tale symptoms of allergies can include
watery, itchy, and/or red eyes,
as well as itchy nose and/or
throat. (If there’s also wheezing
and/or shortness of breath, the
allergy may have progressed to
become asthma.)
The common cold can also
include muscle aches, headache,
loss of appetite, and a mild fever.
Sometimes, though, it’s not clear
whether it’s a cold or allergies
based on the symptoms alone,
since both affect people in
different ways.
THE SEASON OR
WEATHER
With seasonal allergies, when
people are allergic to mold
spores or pollen, their immune
systems treat these particles
(called “allergens”) as invaders.
The body releases chemicals
(including histamine) into the
bloodstream to defend against
them — and this causes allergy symptoms. People can be
allergic to one or more types of
allergens. The type someone
is allergic to determines when
symptoms occur, since different
allergens are in the air during
different seasons.
Seasonal allergens include:
• Mold: These tiny spores can
travel the air most of the year
except wintertime.
• Grass: Grass pollen may lead
to spring or summer sneezes
with high counts that last the
longest.
• Tree: Even from miles away,
trees release large amounts
of pollen in the spring or
early summer.
• Weed: With the most potent
pollen, weeds can trigger
allergies in the fall.
Some kids are affected not
just by changes in seasons, but
also by changes in weather patterns in general — e.g., some are
allergic to molds caused by periods of heavy rain. The bottom
line: if the weather at any time of
year seems to affect the symptoms, then seasonal allergies are
probably the culprit.
THE DURATION
Although common colds are
annoying, they typically won’t
last for more than a week or two,
whereas seasonal allergies can
last for months.
WHAT TO DO
FOR ALLERGIES
1. Talk to your child’s primary
care doctor. Your doctor should
be able to make a diagnosis
after a physical exam and asking
about symptoms and when they
appear(ed). If not, your doctor
may refer you to an allergist for
blood or allergy skin tests to determine exactly what your child is
and isn’t allergic to. Even if a test
shows an allergy (or allergies),
your child must also have symptoms in order to be definitively
diagnosed with an allergy.
2. Monitor outside play time. If
your child has severe seasonal
allergies, limit the amount of
time spent outside during peak
seasonal allergen times.
enhance magazine | JULY 2016
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