Spring is absolutely wonderful. Flowers bloom, green grass reappears, and trees become leafy and full again. It’s a great time of year – until you start sneezing and tearing up. But is it
spring allergies, or is it a cold or flu?
Allergic rhinitis is a very common disorder affecting the nasal mucosa, which is triggered by exposure to different airborne allergens such as pollen, mould spores, house dust mites and flakes of skin or droplets of urine or saliva from certain animals. In general, an immediate symptomatic response occurs, and is followed by a persistent late phase.
1Some people are only affected by
spring allergies for a few months at a time because they are sensitive to seasonal allergens such as tree or grass pollen, while other people suffer from
spring allergies all year round.
However, it can be hard to determine whether you are suffering from
spring allergies or a cold or flu. Common cold, flu and allergic rhinitis (or
spring allergies) tend to present with very similar symptoms but there are some subtle differences.
Find out if it’s
spring allergies, a cold or flu that you’re experiencing – compare your symptoms to this chart listing out the individual symptoms:
2,3
[REFERENCES]
1. Whittaker, C. (2010) Allergic Rhinitis. SA Pharmaceutical Journal. pp. 34-42.
2. D’Alessio, D.J., Meschievitz, C.K., Peterson, J.A., Dick, C.R., Dick E.C. (1984) Short-duration exposure and the transmission of rhinoviral colds. J Infect Dis. 150(2): pp. 189-194.
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cold Versus Flu. [online] Available at: http://www.cdc.gov. Accessed 19th December 2014.