TThe millions of people who suffer from seasonal allergies each year are also Familiar with symptoms such as sneezing, whistling breaths and sniffing. But many do not realize that there are many other more unusual ways of allergies may appear. “People have a preconceived idea of ​​what allergies are, but there are so many things outside the eyes or sneezing,” said Dr. Purevi Parikh, allergist and immunologist at Nyu Langone Health. “It can imitate a lot of infections – people think they get sick with something, but they are actually allergies.”
We asked allergists to share some of the least known symptoms they see in their offices, black eyes with nasal folds.
A throat
Perhaps you suspect that you are getting out of streptococcal angina. It could be seasonal allergies. Blush it on the post-snasical drop, this beautiful feeling of sliding mucus in the back of your throat. “When your nose is blocked or fiery, inflammation has nowhere to go, then it starts to flow into your throat,” explains Parikh. “This is what causes the sore throat, or have to empty your throat often.”
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There are several ways to focus on the probable culprit: if you have severe throat pain that suddenly starts and is associated with a fever and swollen tonsils, Streptococcal angina is certainly a competitor. But if your symptoms are more progressive and you have also noticed an wrapping or chronic cough, consider making an appointment with an allergist.
Obstructed ears
If you suddenly have the impression that your ears are blocked – and that you are not, for example, on an airplane – you could face allergies. “Your ear, nose and throat are all connected by the same tube, so if your nose is congestioned, it can affect your ears and your throat,” explains Parikh. Once you start treating your allergies, whether with over-the-counter medications or allergy strokes, your ears should come back to normal, she adds.
The nose bleeds
Children are famous to hang on to their blocked nose – and sometimes it leads to an alarming disorder. “They sniff the Morve and they blow very hard,” said Dr Cindy Salm Bauer, Division Head and Medical Director of Allergy and Immunology at Phoenix Children's. “It's irritating and harmful, and of course, the nose will be upset and bleed.”
The solution: using nose spray. Most people, however, do not do it properly. Instead of squirting the right spray back – which can exacerbate bleeding from the nose – do it towards the ear, or laterally on each side. “It's weird to squirt towards the ear, because you said to yourself” really, the side of my nose? “”, Said Bauer. But that's exactly where he has to go to do his job.
Sniffing, growled and other strange noses
Parents of Bauer patients often demonstrate the strange noises that their children have – all in the name of helping their embarrassed children. “They are like,” okay, I waited for this meeting. If you don't do it, I'm going to do it, “she says. “Then they try to make the noise that the child makes.”
As a rule, these sounds occur due to postnasal gout, which can cause sniffs, grunts and clearings of the throat. “He can almost imitate a ICT,” says Bauer. “It is difficult for some families, when children constantly make this usual noise or growing.” Once they have started treatment against allergies, parents generally report significant improvement.
Exhaustion
People who suffer from seasonal allergies often experience fatigue, but do not realize why they are so tired. It is the “most common quality of life number 1” that Dr. Karen Kaufman, who manages a practice of allergy, asthma and immunology in Vienna, Virginia, intends to talk about patients. “They choke on the mucus all night, they breathe through the mouth and they have no restful sleep,” she said. “It leads to huge amounts of fatigue.”
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Poor sleep can trigger difficulties in concentrating at work or at school, as well as behavioral problems in children. Bauer describes “AHA” visits with families who discover that their children have allergies and soon see spectacular improvements in well-being. They return to his office and say, “Who would have thought that the identification and treatment of allergens would help my child literally behave better and be happier?”
Undereye circles
Dark circles under your eyes can occur due to allergic rhinitis or hay fever. When you feel a nasal congestion and your nose becomes inflamed and swollen, “this causes part of the blood that flows before your eyes to pool himself a little,” explains Dr. Jeffrey Chambliss, specializing in allergy and immunology at UT Southwest Medical Center. “We see a darker pigmentation of the skin which is really more linked to blood flow and does not necessarily come from a problem in your eyes – more from inflammation in your nose.”
For many patients, these dark circles, which look like a black eye, improve in tandem with symptoms of allergy. Sometimes it takes more time to improve that, for example, itching or sneezing, but over time, blue or purple color generally fades, he says.
A nasal fold
In addition to dark circles, some people with seasonal allergies develop a horizontal line on the lower third of their nose which is darker or lighter than their complexion. He is known as an allergic salute or a nasal fold, and he is caused by rubbing your nose again and again, says Chambliss. Although a horizontal line is the most common, “some patients who really rub vigorously can get other forms,” ​​he adds. “I had a patient who had almost an X through the tip of their nose because they would rub more in a circular movement, rather than from top to bottom.”
Itching, tingling or soft swelling in your mouth
Oral allergy syndrome – Sometimes called pollen food allergy syndrome – arises when your body combines fruits or vegetables for pollen to which you are allergic, says Chambliss. If you are allergic to birch pollen, for example, and opt for a healthy snack like an apple, a peach, a cucumber or pepper, you may have a feeling of itching, tingling or burning in your mouth, your lips, your tongue and your throat. “It is rare that you get potentially fatal symptoms, so sometimes patients do not immediately connect it to be possibly driven by an allergy,” he said. “They just say:” Well, I avoid it because it makes me funny. “”
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Heating fruits or vegetables in question generally improves or reduces symptoms. “If you eat apple bread or banana bread, you do not include these symptoms because it has been heated to change the shape of the protein,” explains Chambliss.
Bad breath
The daily meetings that stand out most in Bauer's mind often have to do with evil – make this “horrible”. And his patients do not jump on dental hygiene. “It is logical that you have mucus in your flowing nose at the back of your throat”, which can be a reproductive ground for bacteria, “she says. “It can be really smelly.” In addition, allergies often lead to the breathing of the mouth, which can dry the mouth, exacerbating the fragrance that escapes. Fortunately, with appropriate treatment, says Bauer, halitosis often becomes much less offensive.
Skin rashes
Parikh sees many patients with rash at this time of the year, and many do not realize that an allergy to the pollen could be the culprit. The two most common types are the hives – crackers that itch, red and uncomfortable – and eczema, which is characterized by dry, itching and inflamed skin. If you cannot stop scratching, try to take an over-the-counter antihistamine or apply hydrocortisone cream, she advises. “If the rashes do not improve, will certainly see an allergist or a dermatologist to obtain additional treatment,” said Parikh, “and to make sure that it is nothing else.”
