Summer cold or hay fever? Telling the difference

Sunday, July 23, 2017

It's that time of year where the weather is warming up, the pollen count is higher, and you're not sure if your runny nose and tickly throat is due to hay fever or the common cold?

It's tricky to distinguish between the two, but there are some indicators that you may be suffering with one as opposed to the other. The sooner you figure out which is affecting you, the sooner you can seek appropriate treatment and start feeling a bit more normal again.

Here we take a look at the similarities, differences, and other factors that can determine what you are dealing with.

What symptoms are the same?

Typically if you have either a cold or hay fever you will experience sneezing, a runny nose, congestion, some sinus pain, and a tickly cough.

What is different about the two?

Luckily there are some differences between the two which can help you get the appropriate help. Firstly, hay fever tends to also present red, itchy eyes or an itchy throat. Typically the itchiness is attributed to allergies rather than a cold. Secondly, as a cold is a virus, you may experience a fever, and aches and pains throughout your body - two symptoms which will rarely be seen in a case of hay fever.

Also, if you are experiencing a runny nose with clear discharge it's more likely to be hay fever. If your nose is running and it's more of a yellow/green colour, then this is more likely to be caused by the cold virus.

Time can tell

Time is also another important factor in determining which is which. A cold shouldn't last any longer than 14 days, while an allergy such as hay fever will be an ongoing problem and worse during peak pollen times. Also, hay fever symptoms tend to come on immediately while a cold will gradually present itself, typically taking a few days to appear.