You must have had a cold, right? Did you know that apart from being caused by infection, colds can too caused by allergy you know. Come onLet's look at what an allergic cold is and how it differs from an infectious cold.
In the medical world, allergic rhinitis is known as allergic rhinitis. In this condition, a cold appears if the sufferer is exposed to an allergen (substance or substance that triggers allergies), such as dust or animal dander. When you inhale these allergens, your immune system perceives them as harmful and releases a compound called histamine as a resistance reaction. This reaction causes allergy symptoms, such as runny nose and itching in the nose.
The Difference Between Allergic Colds and Infectious Colds
The main difference between these two types of colds is the cause. Infectious colds are caused by viral or bacterial infections, whereas allergic colds are caused by exposure to allergens. Now, what about the symptoms? Although both cause a runny and stuffy nose, there are still differences between the two.
Symptoms of an allergic cold include:
- Itching in the nose, throat and eyes
- Runny and stuffy nose
- sneeze
- Cough
- Swollen or watery eyes
- Headache
- Skin rash or hives
While the symptoms of a cold due to infection include:
- Fever
- Sore throat
- Cough
- Headache
- Muscle ache
- Sputum is white, yellow, or green
In addition to causes and symptoms, allergic colds and infectious colds also have several other differences, namely:
- Symptoms of an allergic cold can appear immediately after the sufferer is exposed to the allergen. While the symptoms of a new cold infection will appear a few days after being infected with a virus or bacteria.
- Allergic colds can occur at any time. While infectious colds are more common during the rainy season and the transition season, although it can also occur outside of the season.
- Although both can heal on their own without treatment, the symptoms of an allergic cold will continue as long as you are still exposed to the allergy-triggering substance. While the symptoms of colds infection generally lasts for 3-14 days.
Allergic Colds and Infectious Colds Treatment
To relieve an allergic cold, you need to stay away from the cause. Meanwhile, in colds infections, especially those caused by viruses, drugs are not always needed. You just need to get enough rest until the infection clears up.
However, if the symptoms are very bothersome, colds can be treated with antihistamines, especially allergic colds. Here are some ways you can do to treat colds due to allergies or infections:
Maintenance at home
To deal with allergic colds, you should avoid a variety of triggers, such as dust, cigarette smoke, and animal dander or debris. Allergy triggers can vary from person to person. If you're not sure what the trigger is, you can do an allergy test.
Meanwhile, to deal with infectious colds, you just need to rest and drink lots of water to relieve symptoms. Generally, cold infections go away on their own within 7 to 10 days.
To help reduce colds, you can use a humidifier in an air-conditioned room, and keep the air clean. Make it a habit to wash your hands to prevent the entry of viruses or dust that causes colds.
Consumption obat
Drugs commonly used to relieve allergic colds are antihistamines. This drug works by blocking the effects of histamine, which is a natural substance in the body that causes allergy symptoms.
One of the antihistamine drugs is fexofenadine. This latest generation of antihistamines is more comfortable to use because it tends not to cause drowsiness, so it doesn't interfere with your activities. Other antihistamine drugs, such as dexchlorpheniramine and cyproheptadine, can also be used, but both types of drugs often cause drowsiness.
In addition to antihistamines, a group of decongestant drugs can also be used to relieve symptoms of allergic rhinitis. But keep in mind, children, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and people with special medical conditions, such as kidney disease, need to consult a doctor first before taking medicines to treat allergic colds.
In addition to allergies and viral infections, colds can also be caused by a disease, such as nasal polyps and sinusitis. Colds can also occur due to a deformity of the nose called a deviated septum.
Colds due to certain diseases require medical treatment, according to the cause. Therefore, it is recommended that you consult a doctor if the cold does not improve after a few weeks or if it gets worse.