What do a stuffed nose, watery eyes, and rashes have in common? They’re all common symptoms of allergies! However, while everybody has experienced at least one of these during allergy season, there are other more rare symptoms that make people question whether they are suffering from allergies or not.
For instance, fever is also a symptom of multiple conditions, which could lead to confusion. As a result, people have been wondering — can you get a fever from allergies? To answer that question, let’s take a closer look at allergies and find out how they work. So let’s get right to it!
What Is an Allergy?
Your immune system activates whenever a microorganism enters your body in order to fight off diseases. Yet, sometimes, the immune system becomes hyperactive, which makes it react to foreign substances that are usually harmless, such as peanuts or soy.
Similarly, it could also react to environmental substances like colds or pollen, causing inflammation, redness, or itching. When that happens, you are said to have allergies or be allergic to a specific substance or substances.
But how does it all work? Simply put, in order to protect the body, the immune system of an allergic person produces antibodies which are known as immunoglobulin E.
These antibodies cause basophils and mast cells to release chemicals into the bloodstream to defend against the allergen. It’s those chemicals that cause allergic reactions that affect your nose, throat, lungs, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal tract as the body tries to get rid of the invading substance.
Unfortunately, any future exposure to the same allergen will trigger an allergic response. In other words, eating a particular food or encountering an allergen in the environment can make your immune system hyperactive again.
It’s also important to mention that some allergies are seasonal, meaning that they happen only at certain times of the year, while others can occur anytime you come into contact with an allergen.
Symptoms of Allergies
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The severity and type of allergy symptoms vary from person to person and allergy to allergy. On the one hand, some allergies can cause sneezing, nasal congestion, throat tightness, vomiting, and even faintness. On the other hand, severe allergic reactions can be fatal unless they are treated in time.
Airborne Allergy Symptoms
Airborne allergens can cause allergic rhinitis, which typically occurs in 8% of Americans. This specific allergy develops at a young age and reaches its peak during the teenage years or early twenties. Fortunately, most of the following symptoms tend to disappear between the ages of 40 and 60:
• Itchy nose and throat
• Coughing
• Nasal congestion
• Sneezing
It’s worth noting that symptoms of airborne allergies are usually accompanied by watery, itchy, and red eyes, which is a condition called allergic conjunctivitis. Additionally, those who have asthma can also experience shortness of breath and wheezing due to airborne allergens.
Symptoms Related to Medicine, Food, or Insect Venom Allergies
According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, up to 32 million US citizens are affected by food allergies. More often than not, these food allergies are triggered by milk, fish, eggs, peanuts, soy, and wheat. And while symptoms will vary from one person to another, the most common ones are:
• Breathing problems
• Coughing
• Throat tightness
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Wheezing
• Stomach aches
• Red spots
• Swelling
• Watery, itchy, or swollen eyes
• Blood pressure drop, which causes loss of consciousness or lightheadedness
When it comes to food allergies, it’s important to understand that the same person can react differently at different times. As an example, some reactions can be mild and only involve coughing or swelling. Other times, the same reaction can be more severe and cause lightheadedness or worse.
Can You Get Fever From Allergies?
To put it simply, people rarely experience fevers due to allergies. Even so, it is not impossible to develop a fever as a result of your immune system’s hyperactivity. But since fever is usually caused by infection, it’s more likely that you are also dealing with an infection in addition to your allergy.
Furthermore, nasal congestion can trigger a fever. Why? Because congestions can trap bacteria in your nose, which increases the risk of sinusitis, which is associated with fever.
In such cases, you can get rid of fever by treating sinusitis with antimicrobial medication. Please note that if your allergy doesn’t cause nasal congestion, the risk of developing a fever as a symptom of an allergic reaction is extremely low.
How Can I Treat Allergies?
Even though there is no definitive cure for allergies, there are a couple of ways to relieve the symptoms. Yet, the only way to cope with allergies is to reduce or eliminate exposure to allergens. That means you should take an allergy test and figure out which allergens to avoid in order to prevent allergy symptoms.
However, if reducing exposure to allergens is not effective or impossible, you’ll have to rely on prescribed medications. Usually, an allergy doctor will recommend eye drops, nasal sprays, or antihistamines.
In some severe cases, doctors could recommend immunotherapy to desensitize someone with an allergy. But, no matter how effective they are, allergy shots are only good for allergens like mold, pollen, animals, and dust.
How to Avoid Allergens
As previously mentioned, the only way to cope with allergies is to reduce exposure to allergens. Here are a couple of tips that can help you do exactly that:
• Remove carpet or rugs from your room as they can collect dust.
• Keep family pets out of your bedroom.
• Avoid hanging heavy drapes, as they can allow dust to build up.
• If you are allergic to mold, stay away from damp areas like the basement and keep your bathroom and kitchen dry and clean.
• If you are allergic to dust mites, you can use special covers to seal pillows and mattresses.
• Remember to keep the windows closed during the peak of the pollen season, especially if you are allergic to pollen.
When it comes to food allergies, it’s important to completely avoid products that contain your allergens. As a result, you need to read the labels carefully to see if a packed food contains a specific allergen. Also, don’t forget to package your food properly, otherwise, it could get easily contaminated with allergens.
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