Health: How Do I Know if My Child Has a Cold or An Allergy?

Now that Fall has fallen upon us, it is so typical that when we see our child sneezing or coughing with watery eyes and a stuffy nose, our most likely reaction is to think "she got a cold again."  Because it is tricky to know whether our child has a cold or allergies, Moms' Buzz put together this simple table that shows the differences. In this table, we are referring to the most common allergic condition Allergic Rhinitis whose systomps are similar to those of a cold. 

The Differences Between Allergies and Colds
Allergy                                    Cold
Cause	Exposure to an allergen*	Virus
Symptoms	·         Sneezing ·         runny or stuffy nose ·         watery, itchy eyes ·         coughing ·         itchy throat ·         postnasal drip that stays clear	·         sneezing ·         runny or stuffy nose ·         watery or itchy eyes ·         coughing ·         sore, scratchy throat ·         dull headache ·         achy feeling in entire body
Fever	Not common	Possible
Contagious	No	Yes
Duration	As long as your child is exposed to the allergen	One week to 10 days

* Allergen = allergy triggers

One of the facts to keep in mind when doing a home diagnosis is to remember that if one of the parents has allergies, your child has 50% chance of having allergies.  If both parents have allergies, the chance increases to 75%. In other words, allergies are likely to be hereditary.

Before going to the doctor's, try to keep a record of the symptons, when and where it occurs, and whether these symptoms are worse in spring, late summer or fall, indoors or outdoors, or they are present all year round.

Although there are over-the-counter medicine you could use, your doctor is always your best source of health information. 

For more in-depth information about allergies, visit the following sites:

1. American Academy of Allergy, Astham and Immunology - www.aaaai.org

2. Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America - www.aafa.org

To print the Difference Between  Allergies and Colds,table go to Useful Documents on the left-hand sidebar of the blog.

You now got the scoop about cold vs. allergies!

- The Moms' Buzz

Source: Healthy Advice Networks. 

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Note:  This is a republication a past post we did due to requests from new readers. If you would like to read certain topics, please do not hesitate to contact us at info @ themomsbuzz.com.  Remember, we are moms like you so we have the same concerns. - The Moms' Buzz.

Comments

[Sue]

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