Bridgeview, IL – Spotting the Difference Between Cold and Mold Allergies

Wondering how to tell if you have the common cold or a mold allergy? Read on to find out!

Suffering from a stuffy nose, congestion, and sneezing? Have itchy and watery eyes? Having trouble breathing due to constant wheezing and coughing?

If you have some or all of the above-mentioned symptoms, then you might be suffering from either of two things – the common cold or allergies. Did you know that every year, 30% of adults and 40% of children suffer from allergies? However, more often than not, people don’t even think that their symptoms could be due to an allergy and think that they have contracted the cold.

This is because the symptoms of common allergies such as from mold, pet dander, and dust are often quite similar to cold symptoms. This makes self-diagnosing pretty hard. With that said, if your allergies remain untreated, you could become more susceptible to sinus infections and other respiratory problems.

So, let’s take a look at the differences between mold allergies and the common cold.

Difference in Symptoms

With both cold and mold allergies, having a runny nose and sneezing are typical. You might even feel a bit drowsy. However, the other symptoms vary depending on what you actually have. With a mold allergy, it’s common to experience histamine-mediated reactions such as itchy and watery eyes, congestion, and coughing. Headaches and postnasal drips are also pretty common with mold allergies. If you suffer from asthma, then you are likely to experience increased difficulty in breathing, tightness of chest, and wheezing. These are not the symptoms of the common cold.

On the other hand, if you have the common cold, you will likely experience body aches and muscle pain, a sore throat, and tiredness, along with sneezing and a runny nose. Mold allergies don’t cause body aches or sore throats.

Difference in Seasons

When it comes to the common cold, you can contract in all year round. However, most people consider winter to be its primary season. This is because it’s easy for the viruses to spread after a drop in temperature. Furthermore, during winters, people tend to spend more time huddled up with each other in their homes, which makes it easy for the cold to spread. Their nasal passages are also dried owing to the drier winter air, which makes it easier for the viruses to take hold and affect your health.

As for mold allergies, they are also not seasonal like some air-borne allergies. This is because mold tends to grow all year-round. With that said, those people who exhibit mold allergy symptoms are likely to do so during the rainy season from midsummer to early fall.

This is because these are the times when people are more exposed to mold spores that float in the air and make their way into your nose and trigger an allergic reaction. Mold tends to thrive in moist and humid conditions, which is why it grows on surfaces within your home that have soaked the moisture from the constant rains. The mold spores attach to wet surfaces such as your bathroom walls, toilets, basement carpets, attic ceilings, etc., and begin to grow and spread throughout your house.

You might not even notice that you have mold growing in your home, unless the problem gets way out of hand. Some common signs include a musty odor, water leaks, visible mold colonies growing on your walls, and mold allergies.

If you spot any of these signs and experience the symptoms of mold allergies, then reach out to a professional mold removal and remediation company right away.

For professional mold removal and remediation services, visit our website today!