Originally published in Hideaway Lake News on October 3 , 2021
In the spring when I woke up with a stuffy nose, scratchy throat and headache, I had to ask myself – is it allergies or is it COVID? Now in the fall, when I have those same symptoms again, I need to throw in cold and flu into that mix! It is not always easy to make the distinction but it is helpful to know some key characteristics of each so you can at least decide if it is time to see your doctor.
The first step is to separate allergies from the other three which are viral infections. An easy symptom that helps you do that is fever. You do not get a fever with allergies. So if you have a fever in addition to other respiratory symptoms, it is an infection and not allergies. If you have body aches with your runny nose and scratchy throat, then again seasonal allergies are less likely, and a viral infection is more likely the culprit.
Nasal allergies generally cause sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes, scratchy throat, nasal congestion and sometimes a cough from the nasal drainage. All these symptoms may be present with a cold, but you’re more likely to have other symptoms like fatigue, low grade fever and malaise as well. The symptoms start off relatively mild and progress over a few days in the case of a cold. Allergies frequently make you feel irritated and frustrated rather than making you want to stay in bed with a cup of soup and a warm blanket.
In the case of the flu, often you will have fairly abrupt onset of high fever, chills, body aches, headache and cough in addition to the other symptoms of a cold. If you think you have the flu, it is best to see your doctor within 72 hours. She might be able to treat you with antivirals to reduce the duration and severity of symptoms as well as keep you from going to the hospital with serious complications such as pneumonia if you are a high risk person. The antivirals work best if started early in the course of the disease.
And then of course we have the “C”! COVID is the most tricky of the lot because you may have very mild symptoms, so there is no way to know unless you get tested. Sneezing and itchy eyes are not usually seen as sole symptoms in COVID – if you just have those, it is more likely allergies. But when in doubt, call your doctor.
Remember allergies don’t cause fever and generally don’t make you feel tired and achy. If you have any of those symptoms, stay away from others until your symptoms have resolved and get tested for COVID since it is the great mimic. If you or a loved one have difficulty breathing, chest pain or confusion, please get medical attention immediately.
And of course, don’t forget to get your flu shot by October. We lose thousands of people every year to the flu. Flu shots significantly reduce your risk of death. Dead is dead whether from the flu or from COVID or from anything else.
Enjoy the cooler weather, be active outdoors and eat healthily to maintain a robust immune
system. Happy fall y’all! And best of health to us all!