Common Cold Or Allergic Rhinitis?

“Esto hay que tomarlo sin ningú n apuro. despacito... atishoo” Jack was just about to finish the chorus of Despecito, but continuous sneezes kept bothering him. What’s the matter? He didn’t have a cold...So he went to see an E.N.T. doctor and was told that he could have allergic rhinitis...

Allergic rhinitis or common cold?

Allergic rhinitis can be accompanied by the symptoms stated below:

• Sneezing: more than three per times, usually occurs in morning/evening, or sometimes triggered by allergens.
  

• Runny nose: a lot of watery snot drips down automatically.
  

• Stuffy nose: intermittent or continual, one side or both sides, with varied severity.

• Itchy nose: most patients suffer from itchy nose.

Common cold bears similarities to allergic rhinitis: common cold takes hold rapidly, symptoms include dry, itchy pharynx, and burning sensation. At the same time or a few hours later, sneezing, stuffy and watery nose may follow. 2 to 3 days later, snot thickens and possible complications include sore throat, cough, slight chills, headache etc. 

If there's no severe complications, patients can recover after 5 to 7 days.

Summary: allergic rhinitis is often accompanied by watery secretions, while in the case of common cold, thick snot and purulent secretion are very common.

How to prevent allergic rhinitis?

1. Avoid getting in contact with allergens: the key for prevention is to avoid touching allergens. Pay close attention to the environment, keep air well-ventilated, fresh; stay away from dust, pollen, animal scurf and feathers; avoid irritative or poisonous gas. Besides, it's also very important to abstain from smoking and excessive drinking.

2. Keep warm: follow weather forecast and wrap up warmly on cold days since climate change tends to trigger allergic rhinits; wear a mask to counter the stimulation to nasal mucosa by cold air; and remember to dry your hair after bath.

3. Improve your physique: carry out outdoor sports in moderation to enhance immunity; eat food that's nutritious such as fruits and vegetables, and be less choosy; but please avoid food that you are allergic to.

4. Get rid of bad habits: when blowing your nose, it's incorrect to blow both nostrils at the same time. It's suggested to press on one nostril and blow the other at a time. Besides, nose-picking is a bad habit, which can stimulate nasal cavity and induce rhinitis or damage nasal mucosa, thereby bring about infections.

5. Rinse your nose: if your nose is too dry, you can rinse it with water to ease the discomfort. Use weak brine to wash your nose: soak your nostrils in weak brine, then inhale water into your nasal cavity, hold it for a moment, then exhale. Repeat it for about 2 minutes, and remember to avoid choking in the water. Also, dribble one or two drops of vegetable oil in your nasal cavity to keep it moist.

6. Seek medical advice: if allergic rhinitis is very recurrent or worsens, please go and see a doctor without any delay. It's important to go through proper treatment and not to misuse medicines.