This is especially true during certaintimes of the yearwhen specific allergens are abundant.
The key differences between respiratory illnesses like the common cold and allergies are the onset and duration of symptoms.
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How Cold vs.
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There are hundreds of viruses circulating around you every day.
Viruses have varying levels of potency and may cause slightly different symptoms.
Allergiesshare many of these symptoms.
They are due to things around you that your body has developed a sensitivity or reaction to.
In rare cases, allergic reactions can lead toanaphylaxis, a life-threatening response causing airway restriction.
It is a medical emergency.
Cold symptomsusually appear gradually in the days after exposure to a virus and can last days or weeks.
Allergy symptomscan develop minutes or even seconds after exposure to an allergen.
Prompt treatment with medications likeantihistamines and steroidscan resolve symptoms quickly.
How to Tell Whats Causing Your Symptoms
There is no singular test to diagnose the common cold.
Your healthcare provider will usually make a diagnosis based on your symptoms.
If you have unexplained symptoms, consider taking an at-home COVID-19 test.
However, for most cold viruses, testing is unavailable or inaccessible to most people.
Cold, Flu, COVID-19, Allergies, or Something Else?
Relieving Symptoms
There is no cure for the common cold.
In most cases, colds resolve on their own without formal treatment.
Others only need treatment when they encounter a trigger and have a reaction.
Another strategy for managing chronic allergies is to identify and avoid your triggers.
Healthcare providers can diagnose a cold based on your symptoms, whereas they use specific tests to diagnose allergies.
If your symptoms come on suddenly, tell your healthcare provider and ask about allergy testing.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About common cold.
American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.Wheezing, shortness of breath.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Common cold.
NIH News in Health.Cold, flu, or allergy?
Know the difference for best treatment.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Cold versus flu.
