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Check
Your Symptoms
Symptoms of allergies and colds can be similar, but here's how to tell the
difference:
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Colds
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Allergies
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Occurrence
of symptoms:
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Symptoms
often appear one at a time: first sneezing, then a runny nose, then
congestion.
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Symptoms
occur all at once.
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Duration
of symptoms:
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Generally
last from seven to 10 days.
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Continue
as long as a person is exposed to the allergy-causing agent (allergen).
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Mucus:
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Often a
yellowish nasal discharge, due to an infection.
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Generally
a clear, thin, watery discharge.
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Sneezing:
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Less
common than with allergies.
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More common
than with colds, especially when sneezing occurs two or three times in a
row.
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Time
of year:
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More
common during winter.
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More
common in spring through fall, when plants are pollinating.
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Fever:
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May be
accompanied by a fever.
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Not usually
associated with a fever.
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Questions to Ask Your
Doctor
 Can a test tell me which plant (or
mold) is causing my allergy?
Can my allergy
be cured?
Are there medications I can take?
Are there lifestyle changes I can
make to relieve my symptoms?
Did You Know?
Hay
fever is another name for fall allergies.
Molds can also cause allergy
symptoms when they release tiny reproductive cells, called spores.
Tree pollen allergies strike in
late winter to early spring, grass allergies can strike from spring through
summer, and ragweed (which causes "hay fever") typically strikes in
the fall.
An allergen is a substance that
your body perceives as dangerous, which causes an allergic reaction.
An antihistamine is a medication
that prevents congestion, sneezing and itchy, runny nose by blocking
histamine (a substance released by your body's immune system after being
exposed to an allergen.
A decongestant is a medication
that shrinks swollen nasal tissues to relieve symptoms of nasal swelling,
congestion and mucus secretion.
Know Your Numbers
35 million- that's the number of
people with allergic rhinitis, another name for seasonal allergies, according
to NIAID
Most people develop hay fever
before age 30.
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