Every year millions of Ukrainians, adults and children, colds and suffer from allergies.
And more than half of people with allergies do not seek medical attention, because I think that’s just cold. It is possible that this relates to your friends or acquaintances, and perhaps you personally.
In adults, the flu is up to three times a year, the children more often. The symptoms of these diseases are often similar, but they have different causes.
“Many people think that they have a cold, and not suspect that they are allergic. You’d be surprised how many people worldwide are treated for SARS, instead of having to take antihistamines. Alas, in the age of technology not all people have the right information,” says Dr. Robert Weiss medical center CT ENT Sinus and Allergy in Connecticut, USA.
The duration and retrospective symptoms
Please note that often the difference between a cold and allergies manifests itself in terms of symptoms. So, the symptoms of a cold in a standard variant are observed 7-10 days. allergies can last much longer.
To distinguish these diseases from each other, so to speak, in retrospect. In case of allergic reactions, the symptoms may appear in a certain period of the year or, for example, depending on where you are.
Allergy to grass and pollen
Than similar Allergy and cold?
These disease symptoms are often similar, ranging from nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing and cough, and ending with sore throat and inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eye.
Try to distinguish a cold from allergies
Director, American medical center Allergy & Asthma Centers Andrew Kim admits that even some doctors can not distinguish a cold from allergies: “unfortunately, the common cold and allergies have very similar symptoms. Sometimes doctors have difficulty in the correct diagnosis”.
Moreover, even experienced doctors are not able themselves to make the correct diagnosis. For example, MD, Professor of Pediatrics Paul Ehrlich several years suffered from allergies, but didn’t know about this thought that hurts cold. Once the patient Erlich said, pointing to the eminent physician, that is, and medical workers are allergic. The Professor cringed and decided to pass the tests, which showed the reaction to tree pollen (hay fever). A cautionary tale, you will agree.
In order to understand whether you are dealing with a cold or allergies, you should answer some questions:
How quickly the symptoms started? If you have a cold, the symptoms develop gradually over one or two days. If the symptoms of the disease appeared suddenly, as if out of nowhere, then most likely it’s allergies.
How many continuing symptoms? The common cold symptoms generally disappear in a week, but allergies can last a long time before people will be under the influence of the allergen.
If the symptoms appear at the same time of year? If the answer to this question is Yes, then most likely, we are talking about seasonal allergies. It may seem that from seasonal allergies it is impossible to get rid of, but in recent years doctors have learned to deal with this “seasonal” illness.
Is there itching, eczema, watery eyes? These symptoms are more typical for allergies than for colds.
How to distinguish a cold from allergies in the child
Try to distinguish between rhinitis with SARS from allergic rhinitis in the child. I doubt that you will succeed immediately. But we will suggest some simple ways to do it.
Allergic rhinitis in a child can be recognized instantly
Sneezing paroxysmal
Nasal discharge “flow like water”, transparent or translucent
Nose itches and itches
The child can’t breathe because of nasal congestion, especially at night, which often wakes up and is cranky
To determine allergic rhinitis in a child is possible not only by the nature of rhinitis, but also on his face.
Swelling of the face and difficulty breathing, the baby should immediately be alerted. The child breathes a mouth, his dry lips, and he drinks more than usual.
Much eye, there is watering (a sign of allergic conjunctivitis). Often appear dark circles under the eyes. According to studies, this form of rhinitis often suffer from preschoolers and adolescents.
If mom or dad suffer from allergies, the likelihood of her baby is 30%. If Allergy both parents – 60-70% of what the child’s allergic rhinitis.
The degree of allergic rhinitis in children
Easy, if the baby is active and normal sleep.
Average if he has a reduced activity, disturbed sleep, he is cranky.
Severe allergic rhinitis in a child poyalvyaetsya in pronounced symptoms and refusal to eat.
Allergic rhinitis klassificeret and seasons: seasonal, which occurs in the spring and summer and year-round, which is manifested throughout the year, regardless of the season.
Seasonal rhinitis is often caused due to pollen. So if with a family picnic on the nature of your child arrived “with a cold”, contact your allergist. Perhaps it is a severe allergic reaction – hay fever and rhinitis was its harbinger. It isn’t excluded that it will be followed by conjunctivitis and bronchial cough.
allergic to bloom
How to diagnose allergies in children
Doing skin tests. Scratch the skin on the back side of the forearm and drip to the allergen. This diagnosis is considered the most reliable, but it is not carried out in the period of exacerbation of disease 5 days before the procedure stop taking antihistamines (if appointed) and are not allowed to test pregnant and lactating mothers. In other cases, if you are from 4-50 years, skin tests are allowed.
A blood test for a special immunoglobulin E is the main determinant of the allergic profile, allowing to reveal diseases of allergic nature and differentiate them. It can be done in the period of exacerbation, there are no contraindications, it is therefore considered more convenient. But the blood test for immunoglobulin E quite expensive (from 160 UAH.) and there is also a high margin of error.
The causes of SARS and allergies
First, let’s deal with the causes of these diseases.
The common cold, with rhinovirus the most common can cause dozens of subtypes of viruses. This disease preditcable-droplets. Cold you can get sick at any time of the year, but most of all, of course, in the winter.
But the cause of allergies – not the virus. It develops if the immune system responds to ordinary matter as if it poses a danger to the body. As a result, the body makes biologically active compound histamine, which causes many common Allergy symptoms.
What is the treatment?
With the help of some over-the-counter medicines are treated as the common cold and allergies. However, there are certain differences in the treatment of each disease.
Unfortunately, scientists still haven’t invented a drug for the treatment of colds. For colds it is recommended more rest, drink plenty of fluids, etc. But there are drugs designed to improve the symptoms of this disease. This-the-counter decongestants to reduce nasal congestion and painkillers, reducing throat pain or “aching” in the body.
The best way to combat allergies is prevention. If you know what allergen is causing your allergic reactions, then naturally it should be avoided. But generally, allergies can be treated with antihistamines. They counteract the histamine.
The body can get accustomed to the allergen that causes the Allergy symptoms, if you enter it during a certain time (usually several months) with injections. Of course, we are talking about small doses of the allergen, which must identify the doctor. This treatment is called immunotherapy.
When to go to the hospital?
If symptoms are severe or if they last more than 2 weeks, in this case, you may want to go to the doctor. With the help of special tests, the doctors will determine the triggers of Allergy, and after is found a specific allergen, you will appoint treatment.
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