Keywords: cold or allergy, more than allergy, sign of infection, seasonal allergies

Are these allergy signs or something worse?

Is it just an allergy or something else? Well, finding out the differences between an actual allergy or something more than that is difficult for an ordinary person. Some symptoms people most often regard to as common cold or allergy are something more that requires serious professional help such as meningitis, flu, strep throat, etc.

If your medications are not bringing out any good in relieving your symptoms then maybe it is the time to go through a self-diagnosis to understand the actual cause. Well, in this article we have made your task a bit easier. If you pay a bit more attention to your symptoms, you may get to know whether the signs are of allergy or something worse. These ten signs are the red flag that needs more than allergy treatments. Have a look:

Persistent symptoms  greater than four days

A common cold, flu or allergy will usually take maximum 4-6 days for proper recovery if you follow appropriate medications. But in case you notice that the symptoms are persistent, and there is no significant improvement in your health then there is a possibility that it is more than allergy may be mononucleosis or hay fever. 

Clear fluid dripping from one nostril

Fluid dripping from nostrils is often regarded as an allergy or a cold. Well, it may not always be the case. If you are experiencing clear dripping of fluid from one nostril for more than a week, then it may indicate a cerebral spinal fluid leak. This condition often refers to an infection in the brain due to opening up of a hole in a thin plate that separates the sinuses in your brain. The problem is rare, but several cases have come up for the past few years so better pay attention if the leakage is from one nostril only.

Nasal mucus(snot) is green

We most often notice mucus when we are sick, or we catch the flu, but you must know that mucus changes its properties according to your health. If your mucus turns into a green color, then it is probably a sign of infection which needs a diagnosis. The green color signifies that your body's white blood cells are fighting against the invasion of foreign germs or bacteria.

Pain in Cheeks without particular reason

Doctors take on a serious note the pain felt in the cheeks without any probable specific reason. If you are having a cold, then it is obvious for your sinuses to experience pressure and feel tightness. But if you are experiencing significant pain in cheeks and teeth then it may signal some inflammatory build up that corresponds to some severe sinus infection and not just allergy.

Losing sense of taste and smell

Most often people believe that allergy related congestion leads to loss of senses of taste and smell. Well, that may not always be the case. If you experience the loss of taste and sense for more than 24 hours, it may rather signal something related to structural nasal polyps which are small cancerous growing cells. When these polyps are identified at an early stage, surgical treatment could help solve the problem which is difficult at advanced stages.

High fever along with cold

Experiencing fever along with severe or other allergies is a widespread scenario. But persistent high fever above 101 degrees Celsius may not correspond to allergy. Such high fever may signify strep throat which if left untreated often leads to rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever at advanced stages is often related to heart problems. So it is not wise to ignore sudden spikes in your temperature when suffering from cold.

Chest pain and trouble in breathing

A cough and cold often puts pressure in the chest region and causes problems in breathing. In case a patient experience severe chest pain and difficulty in breathing then it signals heart problem or something worse than a typical allergy.

Chronic hives

A hive is a condition in which skin gets inflamed in response to some food, irritant or medicine. In mild or average cases it is considered as a standard allergy, but if a patient experiences chronic hives more than six weeks, it may signal some problem with your thyroid system.

Congestion accompanied with bad breath

Seasonal allergies often accompany congestion in the throat. But if a patient experiences terrible congestion along with a foul breath or a sour taste then it may probably be due to some infection in the body.

The Bottom-Line

Well, if you are still confused about your condition then we suggest you be as detailed and honest with your doctor as possible and explain everything that is going on with you for an accurate analysis. A health care professionals would perform medical tests to evaluate the exact problem.