Cold Allergies
From time to time someone sneezing and wheezing will be overheard saying they’re suffering from ‘cold allergies’ and they’ll let everyone know it’s no fun. The question is of course whether there’s any such thing or if the sufferer has
simply confused two different conditions with similar symptoms. Cold allergies are no doubt one of two conditions with symptoms that affect the nasal passage and upper respiratory tract.
The difference is a cold is caused by the body’s response to bacteria and an allergy is really the body’s confusing something in the environment for bacteria or infection. While someone who’s confused about their symptoms might label their suffering as cold allergies no one is actually allergic to a cold which is what their statement would really mean.
A cold is actually acute viral rhinopharyngitis or coryza. These are big, tough names for what’s usually a fairly mild infectious disease. In fact, the common cold is the least likely infection to lead to death a human being can catch. That doesn’t mean it’s not thoroughly unpleasant to have the runny nose, nasal and chest congestion, coughing, sneezing, sore throat, muscle aches, and loss of appetite a cold can cause the sufferer.
Some colds will also cause a small fever usually no higher a few degrees above normal. The only good news is a cold peaks in symptoms after just a few days and usually runs its course completely in 7 to 10 days after onset. If a suffer takes sufficient care of their cold there’s relatively little chance of it developing into something more serious, but smokers should watch for secondary infections and more severe symptoms since the immune system is compromised by their habit. Infants and young children who develop a high fever with a cold should be taken to a doctor.
The allergy half of the ‘cold allergies’ has similar symptoms such as nasal congestion, sneezing, an itchy runny nose, a scratchy throat and in some cases chest congestion. Allergies will seldom cause fever, but might linger for weeks or until the cause of the allergy is removed. Another place you might see the words cold allergies is the sign over the aisle in a grocery store where the over-the-counter medicines are found. Both colds and allergies can be treated with antihistamine and decongestants. If more serious symptoms such as difficulty breathing, very high fever, swelling of the tongue or lips, drop in blood pressure, or other serious problems occur then medical help should be found as soon as possible.