Covid or allergy: itchy throat, symptoms, differences

[Mise à jour le 15 avril 2022 à 16h48] Runny nose, sneezing, cold, itching, itchy throat... Allergic symptoms can be mistaken for an infection covid-19. And like the pollen are back at the moment, not easy to find your way around? List of recommendations for allergy sufferers in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

What are the differences between the symptoms of an allergy and Covid?

A pollen allergy can look like a Covid-19 infection when it manifests as:

• sneezing,
• a runny nose,
• tiredness,
• a cough,
• respiratory problems for asthmatics.

But the Covid infection leads to other symptoms that are not found in allergy, mainly “flu syndrome with pain, aches and presence of fever“explains Dr. Albanne Branellec, allergist in Paris. “Fever is a sign of an infection, the allergy causes fatigue but never fever or muscle pain.”

Can you have a fever due to an allergy?

No, answers our interlocutor. “Fever is a sign of an infection, the allergy causes fatigue but never fever or muscle pain.”

Can an allergy cause a sore throat?

An allergy can cause throat pain and is usually accompanied by itching of the palate (the famous feeling of “itchy throat”). It can be caused in particular by pollen, mites, animals or even dust. Covid-19 too. If a sore throat persists, might as well make a pharmacy antigen test (the fastest) or PCR (in the laboratory) if other symptoms combine (fever, cough, body aches, etc.). The self-tests must be repeated to be more reliable.

Who says cold says stuffy nose. A symptom that you can have when you are allergic to pollen and when you are contaminated with the Sars-Cov-2 virus. “The loss or decrease of the sense of smell with nasal obstruction (stuffy nose) in case of allergy is well known and recognized by allergic patients accustomed to their symptoms” confirm the association Asthma and Allergies. But the difference is that in case ofallergy, we no longer have the sense of smell because the nose is blocked. Whereas in case of infection Covid, loss of sense of smell is observed without nasal obstruction or colds. You can also have a real cold and have the Covid but other symptoms are then generally associated such as headaches, a feverish state, chills…

Can you take antihistamines if you have Covid?

People with allergies have an increased susceptibility to viral respiratory infections, which makes them more fragile patients. “Patients allergic to pollens must continue their background treatment more than ever (even during the Covid epidemic period, editor’s note). Inhalers of course, but also antihistamines oral, which limit the release of histamine in the body. It is indeed this histamine that promotes inflammatory mechanisms. explains Dr Albanne Branellec, allergist in Paris. In the event of allergic manifestations (rhinitis, watery eyes, sneezing attacks), it is possible to make an appointment with an allergist in order to be prescribed an appropriate treatment.

→ People who are continuously treated with corticosteroids in tablets must not stop them.

→ In your nose, you can get prescribe an antihistamine without corticosteroids, for example Allergodil, and Opticron in eye drops if necessary. “We recommend thestopping nasal corticosteroids, because they are not essential“says Dr. Branellec.

Can asthmatics take cortisone?

Asthmatics are considered patients at risk in the event of Covid-19 infection due to an underlying respiratory pathology.

• Continue to treat in a crisis: “ Unlike nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, systemic corticosteroids are not associated with worsening COVID 19 infections” explained the Asthma and Allergy Association in a press release dated March 30, 2020. It is therefore important to maintain the same attitude as usual towards asthma attacks and exacerbations, and to treat them with a few days of systemic corticosteroids. The priority is to stabilize respiratory statusinsofar as a asthma unstable underlying is a real risk factor for complication of any viral infection, including Covid-19. This also makes it possible to avoid hospitalizations more than ever in this epidemic context (risk of contamination and lack of space in intensive care).
• Systemic corticosteroids are: Solupred®, Celestene®, Prednisolone®, Prednisone®.
• Corticosteroid tablets (by mouth) for a few days should be taken in case of destabilization of your asthma as usual. But given the coronavirus outbreak it is important and essential to recontact your doctor.
• “We recommend thestopping nasal corticosteroids, because they are not essential“adds Dr. Branellec.

Can you get desensitized?

• If you have no signs of Covid-19 infection:

→ If you are undergoing desensitization and this desensitization is effective and well tolerated, there is no reason to interrupt it based on current data. If in doubt, you can take the advice of your allergist (many of them offer teleconsultations during this period of confinement)

→ If your desensitization causes you more serious reactions, and you cannot reach your allergist, it is best to interrupt it during the epidemic, then to resume gradually with the advice of your allergist. An interruption of a few weeks is not catastrophic, one can then resume gradually without losing the benefit of the treatment.

→If you had to start desensitization, it is better to postpone the start of treatment and wait for the end of the epidemic.

• If you have Covid-19stop your desensitization the time to be cured.

• Ventilate the houses without leaving the windows open too long. Ventilate preferably early in the morning and late in the evening, when it is colder, or when it rains. Close well in case of wind.
• Vacuum regularly to remove hair,
• Continue their basic treatment well.

Thanks to Dr Albanne Branellec, allergist in Paris.

Sources:

COVID-19 Special Page – Asthma & Allergies.

Bulletin of the National Aerobiological Surveillance Network – RNSA.

Seasonal allergies are back, even confined! Prevention advice from Hubert Bigot, ENT doctor – Thermes de Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc. April 9, 2020.