Sometimes it might be difficult to know whether you have a cold or an allergy. Here are some ways to find out which one you might be suffering from.
What is a cold?
Cold is caused by your immune system attacking a virus that has been able to get into your body. A cold is a contagious infection which you usually get from another person by coming into contact with their viruses.
What is an allergy?
Allergy is caused by your body mistakenly attacking a harmless substance. It is not known why it is that allergies develop, but it has been suggested that not getting a lot of exposure to allergens early in life might be the cause for the inalbity of the body to create a resistance to them. Genetic factors are often behind the development of an allergy.
Length of duration
The easiest way to know if you are suffering from cold or allergy is the length of the duration of the symptoms. Therefore, if you suffer from the symptoms more than two weeks you know that it cannot be a cold. This is because cold never last more than 14 days continuously.
Cold and allergy are different to some degree in their symptoms but there are similarities too. Aches and pains can appear only with cold but fatique is associated with both conditions. There are differences in the way these conditions start. Cold usually takes days to appear after the infection occurs. An allergy appears right after the exposure to the allergen.
Symptoms related to cold:
– Cough
– Sore throat
– Fever
– Stuffy or runny nose
Symptoms related to allergy:
– Couch
– Sore throat
– Itchy and watery eyes
– Stuffy or runny nose
By studying carefully the symptoms you should be able to determine, which is the condition you have — allergies or cold. You need to determine this first, in order to find the best possible way of treatment for it.
