Hay fever (also called allergic rhinitis) affects 24% Australians. Symptoms include sneezing, a runny nose (which can make your nose feel stuffy or stuffy) and itchy eyes. People might also experience itching within the nose, throat, or ears.
However, COVID continues to be spreading, and other viruses can cause cold-like symptoms. So how do you know which one you have?
Remind me how hay fever causes symptoms?
Hay fever This happens when a person becomes “allergic” to an allergen trigger. This implies that the human body is all the time prepared to answer this trigger.
Triggers may include airborne allergens (resembling tree, grass and flower pollen), mold spores, animals or house dust mites, which live mainly in people’s mattresses and bedding and feed on shed skin.
When the body is exposed to a trigger, it produces IgE (immunoglobulin E) antibodies. They cause the discharge of many chemicals produced by the body, including histamine, which causes hay fever symptoms.
In individuals with asthma, asthma symptoms (coughing, wheezing, chest tightness or difficulty respiratory) may worsen after exposure to airborne allergens. Spring, and sometimes summer, can be the worst time for individuals with allergies to grass, trees or flowers.
However, house and pet dust mite symptoms normally occur year-round.
completely happy bench/Shutterstock
What else may very well be causing my symptoms?
Hay fever doesn’t cause fever, sore throat, muscle aches, weakness, lack of taste or smell, or expectoration of mucus.
These symptoms are likely brought on by a virus resembling COVID, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), or the “common cold” (often brought on by rhinoviruses). These conditions can occur year-round, and symptoms overlap:
Natasha Yates/The Conversation
The coronavirus continues to be surrounding us. RSV and flu rates seem higher than before the Covid-19 pandemic, but that would be the case as a consequence of more testing.
So if you have a fever, sore throat, muscle aches, weakness, fatigue or are coughing up mucus, stay home and avoid being around other people to scale back the transmission of the virus.
People with Covid-19 symptoms can take a rapid antigen test (RAT), preferably when symptoms beginthen isolate until symptoms subside. Only one negative RAT coronavirus infection can’t be ruled out if symptoms are still present, so if symptoms are still present, test again 24-48 hours after the primary test.
You can now test for Covid-19, RSV and flu at: connected RAT. But again, a negative test doesn’t rule out the virus. If symptoms persist, test again 24-48 hours after the previous test.
If it’s hay fever, how do you treat it?
Treatment involves blocking the discharge of histamine within the body by taking antihistamines, which help relieve symptoms.
Doctors, nurses and pharmacists can develop: hay fever care plan. This may include using a nasal spray containing a topical corticosteroid to assist reduce swelling contained in the nose that’s causing shortness of breath or blockage.
Nasal sprays ought to be provided using the right technique and used for several weeks to operate properly. Often these sprays can also help reduce itchy eyes brought on by hay fever.
Drying bedding and pajamas inside during spring relieve symptomsidentical to placing a a little bit of Vaseline within the nostrils when going outside. The pollen sticks to the Vaseline, and gently blowing your nose later removes it.
People with asthma also needs to have it asthma planwritten by a doctor or nurse explaining how one can adjust medicines to alleviate and forestall asthma during hay fever season or when exposed to allergens.
People with asthma should be like that too warn against stormswhere pollen can break down into smaller particles, enter the respiratory tract and cause a serious asthma attack or even death.
What if it’s Covid, RSV or the flu?
Australians aged 70 years and over and others with underlying health conditions who have tested positive for Covid-19 qualifies for the usage of antiviral drugs to scale back the danger of severe disease.
Most other individuals with Covid-19, RSV and flu will recuperate at home with rest, fluids and paracetamol to alleviate symptoms. However, some groups are at greater risk of developing serious illness and will require additional treatment or hospitalization.
For RSVthis includes premature babies, infants aged 12 months and younger, children under two years of age with other medical conditions, adults over the age of 75, individuals with heart and lung disease or conditions that impair the immune system’s response.
In the case of influenza, people at higher risk individuals with severe illness include pregnant women, Aboriginal people, people under the age of 5 or over 65, or individuals with long-term health conditions resembling kidney, heart, lung or liver disease, diabetes and compromised immunity.
If you are concerned about serious symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 or influenza, seek the advice of your doctor or call 000 in an emergency.
If your symptoms are mild but persist and you’re unsure what’s causing them, make an appointment together with your doctor or nurse. Even though it’s hay fever season, we’d like to avoid the spread of other serious infections.