Health Tip: Cold or allergy?

People with year-round allergies may confuse their symptoms with frequent colds.

Colds are the result of a viral infection. Perennial allergies — often caused by indoor triggers such as dust mites, furry pets, cockroaches, mold and fungi — are the body’s physical reactions to inhaled airborne particles called “allergens.”

Some symptoms of both are similar: sneezing and a stuffy or runny nose. But if symptoms are also accompanied by a fever, colored nasal discharge and aches, you probably have a cold.

Allergies don’t cause fever, and unless there’s a sinus infection involved, the nasal discharge is clear. Also, a cold lasts about a week, while symptoms of allergy can go on indefinitely