How can I tell the difference between allergic rhinitis and a cold?
Allergies and colds can both cause rhinitis, but here are ways to distinguish the symptoms. A cold usually produces a thicker discharge with a low-grade fever. Allergic rhinitis produces a clear watery discharge without a fever. Cold symptoms last for 5-7 days. Allergic rhinitis symptoms will last as long as you’re exposed to the allergen, which may be for weeks or months. Cold symptoms appearn 1-3 days after exposure to the cold virus. Allergic rhinitis symptoms arise immediately after exposure to allergens. How is it diagnosed? A history of your symptoms will taken to understand the severity of symptoms, the time of year that they occur, and the possible causes. Skin tests or blood tests (RAST) may be recommended for determining the specific allergens. What causes allergic rhinitis? The immune system mistakenly identifies a harmless allergen, such as tree pollen, as something that harmful. It then produces antibodies that are designed to attack this allergen. The next time the body i
