Page 43 - Retail Pharmacy Assistants September 2020

SURVIVING SPRING 41
Colds versus allergies
Generally, while symptoms and severity may vary, colds have some basic characteristics in common with allergies, Mr Webster says.
Colds usually come with sneezing and a runny and stuffy nose, as do allergies.
Colds also usually come with a cough, which is experienced at times with an allergy. Both developments at times bring on weakness and tiredness.
Moreover, a differentiating fact to note is that sore throat is usually experienced with a cold and only rarely with an allergy.
General aches and pains sometimes come with a cold but never with an allergy, whereas itchy eyes are rarely experienced with a cold but usually with an allergy.
Allergies, Mr Webster says, are caused by a hyperactive immune system’s adverse reaction to certain substances, such as dust mites, mould, pollen, animal dander, foodstuffs (milk and eggs, and tree nuts), pollen or medications.
When exposed to these substances or triggers, the immune system releases chemicals – histamines – to fight off the triggers, which results in allergy symptoms.
Mr Webster points out that while allergy symptoms in general are similar to the common cold in the form of congestions, a sore throat, coughing, a runny nose and sneezing, the culprit for a sore throat in allergies is a post-nasal drip.
This drip is extra mucus felt in the back of the nose and throat, caused by the glands in these areas. A person clearing their throat more than usual is a sign of a post-nasal drip. The excess mucus can also cause some other symptoms.
Mr Webster says allergies can result in itchy eyes and rashes, whereas fevers are not an indication of an allergy. And even though seasonal allergies are most common,
in some people they’re triggered by certain substances throughout the year, he adds.
“Allergies are the result of the absence of exposure to things like soil,” he said. “We’ve been concreting over everything and
using pesticides, and often we don’t allow kids to play in the soil.” Mr Webster says allergies are also the result of being exposed
to many things, including foods, that wouldn’t have been experienced back in the 14th century, such as genetically modified foods and introduced plants.”
“So, our reactivity can come from the presence of new things and the absence of things,” he said
According to CSIRO plant industry researcher Dr Richard Groves, some years ago it was recorded that some 27,500 plant species had been introduced into Australia, which compared with its 24,000 natives.
An example of an introduced species is Ricinus communis, the castor bean or castor oil plant, with 250 known cultivars growing wild in Australia. It is highly allergic and has been known to trigger asthma and skin rashes. A ricin overdose (of the beans) can result in nausea, diarrhoea, hypotension, and seizures that last for a few days. If left untreated, the poisoning to the body can prove fatal.
Colds naturally self-limit
Associate Professor Rebekah Moles of the University of Sydney School of Pharmacy’s Faculty of Medicine and Health says adults will usually have two to three colds a year, at any time of the year, which last for about seven to 10 days.
The common cold is a virus, she says, with more than 100 different types of cold viruses in existence, and if symptoms last more than a week or two, the cold could have morphed into an infection.
Dr Moles says a big tell-tale sign that a person is suffering from an allergy over a cold is the fact that the allergy won’t naturally self-limit, but will continue unless medication is taken or the trigger is removed.
She adds that an allergy could also lead to a cold, as ongoing allergies that aren’t treated effectively weaken the immune system, making a person more susceptible to cold onslaughts in the form of viruses and germs.
RETAIL PHARMACY ASSISTANTS • SEP 2020