When summer comes and you have a stuffy nose and sneezing, how do you tell whether it is a cold or a pollen allergy?

In spring, flowers are in full bloom, and pollen inhaled into the respiratory tract can easily cause symptoms such as nasal congestion and sneezing. The large temperature changes in spring can also easily cause colds. From the symptoms, pollen allergy and colds are somewhat similar, so how can you distinguish whether you have a cold or an allergy? Let's take a look at the difference between pollen allergy and colds.

1. Symptoms

The symptoms of pollen allergy and cold are very similar, such as nasal congestion, sneezing, etc. The symptoms of hay fever look like a cold. In addition to runny nose, sneezing, and nasal congestion, a cold may also cause a headache, sore throat or fever, but generally no itchy nose, itchy eyes, red and swollen eyes, itchy ears, etc., so "itching" is the best way to distinguish between a cold and hay fever.

2. Causes

Pollen allergy is caused on one hand by the improvement of people's living standards, and the intake of a large amount of high-protein, high-calorie foods such as eggs and meat products in the diet, which results in the hyperactivity of the body's ability to produce antibodies, so when encountering antigens such as pollen, it is more likely to have an allergic reaction. On the other hand, it is because of air pollution, water pollution and the extensive use of food additives, which cause the human body to come into contact with more antigenic substances, prompting humans to develop allergic diseases.

A cold is caused by various factors that lead to a decrease in the systemic or local respiratory defense function. For example, catching a cold, getting caught in the rain, sudden climate changes, excessive fatigue, etc. can cause viruses or bacteria that already exist in the upper respiratory tract or invade from the outside to multiply rapidly, thus inducing the disease.

3. Season

Pollen allergy has obvious seasonality, and its incidence rate increases with the flowering season and windy weather. The seasonality of pollen can be roughly divided into three types, namely spring type, summer type and autumn type.

Colds have no obvious seasonality, although they may be more common in winter and during the transition between seasons.

4. Course of disease

The course of pollen allergy is the same as the pollen season, it is not contagious, and usually lasts from one to several months. Colds are contagious and last 1-2 weeks.

5. Treatment

Patients who are allergic to pollen generally use medication for symptomatic treatment when allergic symptoms occur, such as nasal congestion, itching, and difficulty breathing, but the most fundamental thing is to undergo desensitization treatment.

Patients with common colds can simply rest more, drink plenty of water, and take symptomatic treatment with medication.

6. Prevention

Patients who are allergic to pollen need to be careful not to play outdoors during the blooming season or in windy weather, and should remember to close doors and windows to prevent pollen from entering the room. Also, be careful not to get pollen on clothes and bedding.

To prevent colds, you need to exercise regularly, eat a balanced diet, build up your body's resistance, be careful not to catch cold, and avoid crowded and poorly ventilated places during the flu season.