Is your sniff caused by hay fever, colds or Covid?

If you have had a sniff attack in the past two weeks, you may be forgiven for assuming it was just a cold.

Or you could easily have pointed the finger at hay fever if you were particularly prone, as Britain was repeatedly hit by a pollen bomb.

But as the pandemic continued, Covid himself became much milder.

And with the virus flooding the country again, it means that the symptoms that make you stick to the couch with a box of tissues may have been caused by Covid.

So, since all three diseases can afflict people in a similar way, here is the ultimate guide to tell what is really behind your runny nose, cough or aches.

covid

At the start of the pandemic, people were told to pay attention to three warning signs of Covid: a loss of taste or smell, a persistent cough and a fever.

But as new variants developed and vaccines and repeated waves blunted the virus’ threat, the official symptom list continued to grow.

The NHS now recognizes 12 symptoms associated with Covid.

According to the ZOE symptom detection study, the most common signs of the virus are now a runny nose (66 percent), sore throat (65 percent), headache (64 percent), persistent cough (63 percent) and fatigue (62 percent).

But because of the range of symptoms and high prevalence of the virus, Professor Tim Spector, an epidemiologist at King’s College London who is leading the study, encourages people to get a test anyway.

The virus is currently in its fifth wave in Britain, powered by the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-strains of Omicron, which are presumably more contagious, but just as mild as their ancestor.

Covid’s most unique feature is the loss of odor or taste completely, known as anosmia, which is rarely reported in colds and hay fever.

Researchers at Harvard University in July 2020 published a study in Science Advances that shows that the virus enters blood vessels and stem cells in the nose that provide energy to the nerves that transmit a sense of smell to the brain.

However, omicron is less likely to cause the loss of taste or smell because the variant increases deeper in the lungs rather than in the nose, experts say.

Of the newer symptoms listed for Covid, only diarrhea and nausea or vomiting are unique to the virus and are not also caused by any fever or cold. This suggests that if you have this as well as a cough, it could possibly be Covid.

NHS guidance instructs people to stay home and avoid contact with other people if you have symptoms of Covid – and to take a PCR test. People are no longer legally required to test whether they are symptomatic, nor do they have to isolate if they are positive.

there is fever

Sky-high pollen levels over the past few weeks have caused millions to suffer from hay fever.

Experts suspect that the past two years of the pandemic have stayed indoors much more than usual, many have not been exposed to pollen, making their reactions to it stronger this year.

Unlike colds and Covid, there is fever, an allergic reaction to pollen — rather than a disease caused by an infection.

This means symptoms are caused by the body’s immune system overreacting to a foreign body that considers it a threat – in this case pollen.

Having a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing and suffering from itchy, red or watery eyes are the most common signs of allergy.

But watery eyes are in theory the only unique feature that is not also at least a feature of Covid or colds.

The body naturally tries to wash pollen out of the body, causing the tear ducts to start producing fluids to help alleviate the presence of the plant-produced powder.

The eyes also hurt because the body causes inflammation, known as allergic conjunctivitis – when a thin, clear membrane covers the whites of the eyes and the inside of the eyelids.

Histamine produced during the reaction also irritates the nerve endings, causing itching, while the blood vessels dilate and swell to fight the irritation, resulting in redness.

Unlike the other two diseases, there is fever that does not cause higher temperatures, said Marc Donovan, chief pharmacist at Boots, so it is safe to rule out the allergy if it is your symptoms.

Mr Donovan said: ‘There is a fever that does not cause a high temperature and most people do not feel unwell.

“Symptoms include sneezing, a runny or stuffy nose, itchy red watery eyes or an itchy throat.”

He said to use barrier balms, such as petroleum jelly, around the nostrils to trap pollen and wear wrap sunglasses to keep pollen out of the eyes to keep symptoms in check.

Antihistamine tablets and nasal sprays can also be used to help control symptoms.

cold

The common cold, while less common in summer, can affect people throughout the year, and is especially common during festive seasons when people return from live events mixed with thousands of people.

Two years of restrictions have lowered people’s immunity to colds, while the hundreds of thousands who went to Glastonbury last week will inevitably be exposed to viruses in the crowded conditions.

Cough, sore throat, runny nose or stuffy nose and sneezing are the most common symptoms caused by the hundreds of viruses that cause colds.

Pain and soreness, fever, headache, fatigue and a loss of appetite can also be signs, while the loss of taste or smell is also an occasional symptom.

The absence of swollen, swollen eyes may be a sign that you are actually experiencing a cold rather than the seasonal allergy.

Meanwhile, diarrhea, nausea or shortness of breath in addition to the previous symptoms may indicate that it is actually Covid rather than a simple cold you are experiencing.

Symptoms are caused when any one of 200 different viruses causes inflammation of the membranes that line the nose and throat.

They are not actually caused by cold weather, but the body is more susceptible to infection when the immune system is weaker – which can be caused by a drop in temperature.

Mr Donovan said: ‘Colds can still occur during warmer months, and usually involve sneezing and coughing, along with a sore throat, headache and sometimes a loss of taste and smell.

“You may want to consider taking painkillers to relieve pain or relieve a stuffy nose with a decongestant nasal spray or decongestant tablets.”