Hay Fever or Cold, What Is Behind the Symptoms?

If the nose runs in spring, the cause is not always clear: hay fever or cold, what is behind the symptoms? How you can easily distinguish the clinical pictures.

Runny nose, red eyes and cough - typical symptoms of hay fever. But also for normal runny nose, which occurs in the course of a cold . Especially in spring and summer, when the pollen is flying, it is often difficult to see exactly what is causing the symptoms. For those who have been struggling with hay fever for years, this question rarely arises. However, there are also many people whose pollen allergy has not yet been diagnosed. This carries risks: If left untreated, the allergy can “slide down a floor” from the nose to the lungs and bronchi. About 30 percent of patients develop allergic asthma within ten years.

What is hay fever?

Hay fever is an allergy to pollen, i.e. pollen from plants. Although the pollen is actually harmless, it triggers violent reactions of the immune system in allergy sufferers. Contact with just a few pollen grains is enough for this: if the small pollen hits a damp surface, for example in the nose, proteins are released from the inside within seconds and penetrate into the mucous membrane. Some immune cells react promptly and produce tailor-made antibodies, so-called immunoglobulin E (IgE), against the pollen proteins. This sensitization takes place completely imperceptibly when first contact with a pathogen.

In the case of invading bacteria or viruses, this would be a life-saving mechanism. It is an overreaction with the harmless pollen. If pollen continues to float, the immune system is immediately alerted and triggers the allergic reaction. As soon as the antibodies have fixed the allergens, the messenger histamine is released. This causes inflammation with the typical consequences: redness, swelling, pain and itching on the skin, nose, eyes, lungs and bronchi.

Hay fever vs. Colds

Even if the symptoms of hay fever and colds are similar, there are some indications by which the diseases can be distinguished. Colds are caused by bacteria or viruses and lead to some symptoms that are more likely to be absent from a pollen allergy.

hay fever

• Nasal secretions clear and watery
• Itching of the eyes, nose, throat
• Burning or scratching in the throat
• No fever
• No swollen lymph nodes

Colds

• Nasal secretions yellow-green, purulent
• Rather no itching
• Pain and difficulty swallowing in the throat
• Fever possible
• Swollen lymph nodes on the neck possible

In order to clarify with certainty which cause is behind your own symptoms, a visit to the doctor is recommended. With special skin, blood or provocation tests (prick tests), allergists can safely determine what is causing the runny nose. In the so-called prick tests, pollen species dissolved in water are inserted into the skin on the inside of the forearm by means of a scratch. If there is an allergy, the contact triggers a reaction, such as swelling or redness at the site. Prick tests are also carried out by skin, ear, nose and throat, pediatricians and adolescents.

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