As we head through fall and on toward winter, it’s the time of year when you might start to have the sniffles, sneezing, or a cough. But what is it? Fall allergies? A cold?

Sujan Patel, MD, Assistant Professor of Allergy and Immunology, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, says “Many symptoms of the common cold and fall allergies can overlap, leaving patients confused as to the best course of treatment. But there are some simple ways to tell these different conditions apart.”

Dr. Patel shares some tips on how to tell the difference between fall allergies and colds by the most common symptoms of each:

Sneezing

• Cold: can be seen at the early phases of a cold
• Allergy: will tend to be persistent and come on in specific scenarios—such as when outdoors during certain seasons, or around a pet

Itchy eyes

• Colds: rare to non-existent
• Allergies: frequent, because in allergies the symptoms are caused by a chemical called histamine, which creates the itching sensation

Sore throat

• Cold: will tend to be painful, sometimes worsened with swallowing, or have a gritty sensation.
• Allergy: will usually be more itchy, sometimes patients with allergies will “scratch” their throat using the back of their tongues making a characteristic sound

Runny nose

• Cold: usually follows an initial stuffy nose and tends to have thicker nasal secretions
• Allergy: is usually accompanied by an itchy nose and thinner, more watery secretions

Cough

• Cold: frequent symptom with cold and part of the virus’ technique of spreading
• Allergy: not as frequent and usually related to the sensation of post-nasal drip from the nasal allergy

Fever

• Colds: colds generally have mild fevers that really don’t reach above 101 and are fleeting over one to two days
• Allergies: fevers are rare to non-existent with allergies because the type of the immune response is different for infections versus allergies

Fatigue

• Cold: people will feel run down and energy-less with the inability to mobilize
• Allergy: people tend to feel tired but can still function and that their thought process is “cloudy”

Onset of symptoms

• Cold: starts off mild, progressively worsens over days, then mild again before resolving completely
• Allergy: can occur fairly rapidly, sometimes in minutes, after being exposed to the allergen

Duration of symptoms

• Cold: will generally occur for about 7-10 days
• Allergy: occurs for the duration of exposure to the allergen (pollen, dander, molds, etc.). Symptoms can be a short as a few minutes, to several hours, to daily

If you experience any of these symptoms for more than two weeks, it might be time to see a doctor. While there are many effective over-the-counter remedies, Dr. Patel says it’s best to get an accurate diagnosis so you aren’t taking unnecessary medications.

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Dr. Sujan Patel is an Assistant Professor of Allergy and Immunology at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, providing comprehensive care in all areas of allergy and immunology for children and adults. He is triple board-certified in internal medicine, pediatrics, and allergy/immunology.