How To Tell If It’s Allergies A Cold Or The Flu

This is a partnered post with MinuteClinic. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Did you know that 35 million Americans suffer from allergies and do not even know it? Many people that have allergies think that they actually have a cold where in fact they are suffering from seasonal allergies.  If you are suffering  read below to find out how to tell if it’s allergies, a cold or the flu.

Here is what you need to know about allergies vs. colds.

• The main difference between a cold and allergies is that a cold is caused by a viral infection while allergy symptoms are caused by your body’s own immune system’s attempt to fight off an allergen.
• If you start sniffling and coughing at the same time year after year, and your symptoms come on suddenly, it may be allergies.
• If you have a cough, it’s probably a cold. Most people with a cold will have a cough, but not everyone with allergies will have this symptom.
• If you’re aching all over, it’s probably a cold, not allergies. Aches and pains are not symptoms of allergies.
• Itchy eyes are a common symptom of allergies but RARELY occur with the common cold!
• A fever is sometimes present with a cold, but will never occur with allergies.

In addition to allergies and colds there is the flu. On average 200,000 people in the US will get the flu each year. Neither of the three is any fun to deal with.

Here is what you need to know about allergies vs. the flu.

• Severe shortness of breath may seem like a symptom for allergies, but it is probably a sign of the flu.
• Ragweed pollen is one of the main fall allergy triggers. Certain foods like bananas, melon and zucchini can also be a trigger for those allergic to ragweed.
• Dust mites are a common allergy that can get stirred into the air when you turn on your heat for the first time in the fall.
• It is common to have a fever for 3-4 days with the flu. Fever is not a side effect of allergies.
• Itchy, watery eyes are a common fall allergy symptom. If you have itchy eyes, it probably is not the flu.
• The color of your mucus may indicate whether or not you have the flu or if its just allergies. Green/yellow mucus can be a sign of a cold or flu. Mucus from allergies should be a clear liquid.
• How quickly did your symptoms arise? You are likely to feel flu symptoms suddenly, when allergy symptoms can worsen within a few days.

Need some allergy relief? 

There are plenty of options that are available. At MinuteClinic you can find nurse practitioners and physicians assistants that can recommend the right over-the-counter medications and write prescriptions when medically appropriate to help you get through the allergy season.