It is quite easy to confuse the symptoms of hay fever with those of the common cold, as they do share some similarities. Most people may not be able to tell the difference, especially during the yearly season changeover from winter to spring, when the weather favours both catching a cold and hay fever allergy. The good news here is that there are still ways to determine if you have hay fever or a cold. Let’s take a look at the differences between these two common ailments and how you should treat them.
How it begins
The common cold is a mild viral infection. The most common one is the rhinovirus, but any of over 200 different viruses can be the culprit. The reason you experience symptoms like a runny nose and coughing is because your body is designed to attack foreign objects it perceives to be a threat, like viruses. Your body sends special cells to attack and destroy the viruses, but this also leads to irritation in the areas affected, such as your nose, mouth, and throat, hence the symptoms of a cold.
Hay fever is an allergy that affects 13 million Britons. As with other allergies, your body is reacting to specific materials you breathe in that it believes to be dangerous, even though they are not. Hay fever is specific for pollen, which can be from weeds, trees or flowers.
If you are allergic and you breathe in pollen, your body reacts by sending special cells to attack the pollen and also releases other chemicals called histamines to stop its spread in your body. These chemicals cause other symptoms not associated with the common cold, like itching and watery eyes.
Seasonal difference
Since hay fever is caused by your body’s allergic reaction to pollen, you will most likely experience hay fever at the start of spring in March, when tree pollen counts are high in the air. Grass and weed pollen counts are higher in the summer months. Windy and humid days also increase the amount of pollen in the air, so it's a good idea to prepare for such days. Although it is still unclear why, the common cold tends to be more frequent during the winter months; however, you can contract a cold at any time of the year.
The length of time it lasts
Hay fever can last for a few weeks to months, depending on how long you have been exposed to the pollen irritant causing the allergic reactions. The common cold is a viral infection, so your symptoms should start improving after about 5 days or at most a few weeks.
Specific symptoms
The symptoms you can expect with hay fever are:
- Coughing
- Sneezing often
- Blocked or runny nose
- Itchy eyes, nose, mouth and ears
- Headaches
- Pain around your face
- Itchy, watery and red eyes
- Fatigue and tiredness
The common cold usually has the following symptoms:
- Sore throat
- Feeling unwell
- Runny or blocked nose
- A deep or hoarse-sounding voice
- Sneezing and coughing
- Headaches
- Muscle pain
- Fever
If you've experienced symptoms such as coughing and a blocked or runny nose, along with a sore throat, you likely have a cold. If you experience itching, watery eyes, coughing, and a blocked or runny nose, you may have hay fever, especially during the spring season when the pollen count is high. If the discharge from a runny or blocked nose is yellow or green, you probably have a cold; however, with hay fever, the discharge is usually clear.
The type of cough you have can also be used to tell the difference between hay fever and a cold. The cough with hay fever feels like a dry cough, but with a cold, it usually feels like a chesty cough. You should remember that the symptoms of the common cold usually improve within a few days. However, if you notice your symptoms persist for weeks and worsen when you go outside, then you are likely experiencing hay fever.
Treatment and prevention
The common cold virus spreads easily through fluid droplets from the coughing and sneezing of an infected person. You can reduce the spread of the common cold virus by washing your hands regularly, keeping your surroundings clean and germ-free, and using a tissue when you sneeze or cough. There is currently no cure for a cold. Still, you can manage your symptoms at home until they improve by drinking plenty of fluids, eating a healthy diet, resting, and using over-the-counter painkillers and nasal decongestants to relieve a blocked nose.
You can’t catch hay fever like a cold, so you can only get it if you’re allergic to pollen. Unlike the common cold, you can treat hay fever with over-the-counter antihistamines, which stop the chemical histamine from producing an allergic reaction in your body, and therefore reduce the symptoms of hay fever. You can also use nasal decongestants to help with a blocked nose.
In addition to taking antihistamines, there are a number of ways you can prepare yourself for the hay fever season. Check out our 5 tips to beating hay fever for practical information on preventing the spread of pollen and relieving your symptoms.
The NHS provides more information about the treatment and prevention of hay fever symptoms, as well as the common cold.