Sore throat from allergy
introduction
Allergy is a widespread disease. Especially in spring and summer, many people suffer from “hay fever”, i.e. a pollen allergy.
If, in addition to the already existing allergic symptoms such as the itchy nose, watery eyes and irritable cough, there are also sore throats, this is extremely uncomfortable for the person concerned.
But how does an allergy trigger a sore throat and what can be done to alleviate the symptoms?
Find out everything about the topic here allergy
Causes of a sore throat with an allergy
As is well known, there are different ways for allergenic substances to get into the body. Usually these are the airways and their mucous membranes or - in the case of contact allergies, e.g. the nickel allergy - the skin or mucous membrane.
If the allergens come into contact with immune cells, they ensure the release of inflammatory molecules and messenger substances via biochemical interactions. These ensure increased blood flow and greater permeability of the blood vessel walls.
As a result, the mucous membrane in this area swells and edema can form. The mucous membrane is then more easily irritated and more sensitive to pain. Pain and irritation can therefore be triggered by even minor stimuli. These can also be stimuli that are normally not perceived as painful or uncomfortable, such as coughing or clearing your throat.
diagnosis
If it is suspected that the sore throat is caused by an allergy, the patient's complaints and symptoms should first be worked out and classified in a conversation. This process of medical consultation is called "anamnesis" in medicine.
In addition, the area of the throat can be mirrored in order to identify any sores in this area.
In addition, general allergy diagnostics are available, e.g. a prick or scratch test. Possible allergens are brought directly onto and into the skin in order to provoke an allergic reaction. This can confirm or at least substantiate an allergic cause of the sore throat.
Accompanying symptoms of the allergy-related sore throat
A sore throat as such is one of the symptoms that can be triggered by an allergy. In order to classify the sore throat correctly, you should be on the lookout for other accompanying symptoms. Such accompanying symptoms include, for example, an allergy
- Itching in the nose, middle ear or the connecting structure between the two body cavities, the tuba auditiva
- allergic asthma (more or less sudden breathlessness caused by narrowed airways)
- Itchy, tearful or sticky eyes
- Skin eczema
However, since the allergic sore throat is triggered by an allergy affecting the airways, the main symptoms are to be expected in this area as well.
Learn more about the Symptoms of an allergy
difficulties swallowing
Swallowing problems are all problems that affect swallowing. Accordingly, there are a number of symptoms, some of them very different, in this category.
In the case of allergy-related sore throats, difficulty swallowing is usually caused by the irritated and sore mucous membrane in the area of the larynx. This can be further irritated by swallowing. Another problem can be the narrowing of the airways in the throat area. Since swallowed substances take the same path as the air in the upper respiratory tract, allergens can narrow this area and make the path for the act of swallowing more difficult.
How are the symptoms different from a cold?
It can of course happen that a cold is superimposed on the symptoms of an allergy and both cause symptoms at the same time. Often, however, the sore throat that is triggered by an allergy can be differentiated from that of a cold.
While an allergy usually occurs seasonally or regionally, for example only at certain times of the year (pollen allergy) or in certain rooms (house dust or animal hair allergy), cold-related sore throats are largely independent of such external factors.
In addition to the sore throat, some of the symptoms described above, such as an itchy nose or sticky eyes, usually occur with an allergy.
With a cold, on the other hand, accompanying symptoms such as cough with slimy sputum and thick lymph nodes on the neck are more noticeable.
Therapy for the sore throat caused by the allergy
To treat the sore throat caused by the allergy, two approaches are available.
First, the allergic symptoms should be alleviated over the long term. Preparations with so-called antihistamines are ideal for this. These active ingredients work precisely on the molecular structures that are responsible for triggering the allergic symptoms.
A common side effect of these drugs is known to be fatigue after taking them. However, there are newer preparations that are supposed to be less tired after taking them.
You don't have a remedy for your allergy yet? They find out, which drugs help with an allergy.
As a further therapeutic approach, the sore throat can of course also be treated symptomatically with pain relievers. You should start with a low pain-relieving effect and then increase the dose if necessary. For this purpose, drugs can be used that develop their effect throughout the body, that is, have a "systemic" effect. Alternatively, there are also agents that only work locally in the throat.
Read our articles about this
- Sore throat - what to do
- Gargling for a sore throat
- Home remedies for a sore throat
The best thing to do is to consult a doctor or pharmacist.
Incidentally, saliva also has a slight pain reliever - therefore lozenges also have a slight relieving effect on pain in the throat and throat area.
Duration of the sore throat
Ideally, the sore throat does not even occur due to an allergy, because it can be effectively prevented by appropriate measures, i.e. with medication or by avoiding contact with the allergy-causing substance.
The allergy, of course, lasts until the exposure is over.
Once the mucous membrane of the throat is irritated, however, healing can be delayed by the allergic symptoms.
The severity of the allergic symptoms and how well they can be alleviated are also decisive for the duration of the sore throat. Therefore, a sore throat caused by an allergy can subside after a few days, or in the worst case it can accompany the affected person for the entire allergy period.
