HYDERABAD: This is the time when a mere sneeze, cough or sore throat can send you through the rabbit hole of looking up symptoms of Covid-19 on Google. It does not help that monsoon has arrived, and so has your yearly quota of cold and runny nose. While people are aware that common cold can cause some symptoms which are similar to Covid, one condition that does not receive much attention is allergy. World Allergy Week, observed from June 28 to July 4, is observed to raise awareness about the condition in which our immune system reacts to certain substances (allergens) in the environment.
In this pandemic, since we are mostly confined to our homes, we tend to think that our exposure to allergens is restricted. However, there are many indoor allergens too, and staying inside home for long hours can increase the chances of an allergic reaction. Dr Subahkar Kandi, a pulmonologist and a former professor at Osmania Medical College, said: “Globally, 4.3 million people die of indoor pollution. Since most respiratory diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), flu, COVID-19 and allergies have overlapping symptoms, there is a lot of confusion and panic among patients.
Therefore, it is imperative to make people realise the importance of understanding respiratory allergies and the ill-effects of leaving allergies untreated. If respiratory allergies are identified and treated in the early stages itself, it can prevent severe conditions such as COPD in the future. In case of allergy, the patient generally has a medical history of similar reactions, and responds very well to allergy medicines.” Speaking about the symptoms, Dr Kandi said: “In case of allergies, there is no fever, no body or muscle pain. But, patients might experience itchiness, which is not experienced by Covid patients.
Allergies and Covid have the following common symptoms: cough, shortness of breath nasal stuffiness and sore throat.” Throwing more light on the condition, Dr C Suman Kumar, consultant paediatrician and allergist at Ankura Hospital, said: “Allergic rhinitis is a type of inflammation in the nose which occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. Signs and symptoms include a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, red, itchy, and watery eyes, and swelling around the eyes for women and children. Allergies have more chronic symptoms and include sneezing, wheezing, and coughing while the main symptoms of the novel coronavirus are fever, tiredness, cough, and shortness of breath.
Respiratory allergies, if left untreated can give way for more serious problems like asthma, persistent or uncontrolled allergies. Therefore, it is time to clear the confusion and know the difference. Consult doctors through tele-medicine to clear your queries.” When asked if psychological stress due to the pandemic can trigger allergy, Dr Suman said: “Stress can aggravate the symptoms of an allergy, but cannot induce it.”
— Kakoli Mukherjee kakoli_mukherjee @newindianexpress.com @KakoliMukherje2