Is it allergies, asthma or COVID-19?
Dr. Rashad Ramkissoon is a primary care physician board certified in family medicine with Memorial Hermann Medical Group.
April showers bring spring flowers, but they can also bring seasonal allergies and asthma flare-ups. Many might be wondering how to tell if they’re having seasonal allergies or COVID-19 symptoms, or if they’re at higher risk for contracting COVID-19 because they have asthma. Dr. Rashad Ramkissoon, a physician board certified in family medicine, answers several common questions patients have about their allergies and asthma in light of COVID-19.
Q: How can I tell the difference between COVID-19, allergies and asthma?
A:
While many people without asthma experience allergies, allergies can also trigger and worsen asthma symptoms. So, it’s important to know the similarities and differences between allergies, asthma and COVID-19.
For both allergies and asthma, the main difference in symptoms compared to COVID-19 is the length of time that symptoms persist. With COVID-19, symptoms are typically more abrupt and last anywhere from a week to three weeks. With allergies, there’s a recurrence of symptoms and they usually last a bit longer. With asthma, symptoms can start even more abruptly and might only last for a few hours.
Other main differences between allergies and COVID-19 are that it’s rare to have a fever, cough, shortness of breath, and loss of taste or smell with allergies. In addition, it’s common to sneeze and have itchy eyes with allergies, but not with COVID-19. There are some similarities including a runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, headaches, and feeling tired or weak. However, feelings of tiredness or weakness don’t result in body aches for patients experiencing allergies, and allergy headaches are usually from sinus pain.
Patients with asthma sometimes experience coughing, shortness of breath or chest tightness when they have flare ups, which are common symptoms of COVID-19. However, they don’t experience fevers, body aches and pains, chills, loss of taste or smell, or gastrointestinal issues that are common with COVID-19.
Q: Are people with allergies or asthma more susceptible to getting COVID-19?
A:Because COVID-19 is new to the medical field, there’s unfortunately not enough scientific data available to know if a patient with allergies is at higher risk for contracting COVID-19. However, those with moderate to severe asthma might be at an increased risk for contracting COVID-19 and suffering severe symptoms. Whether you have allergies or asthma, you should continue to take the standard precautions such as wearing a tight-fitting mask, social distancing and frequent hand washing to protect yourself and others against COVID-19.
Q: What precautions should patients with asthma take?
A:
Asthmatics should take extra steps to ensure they’re staying safe. This includes avoiding close contact with those outside their household, continuing to follow their asthma action plan, and using their medications as prescribed. All individuals with asthma need their own asthma action plan to prevent and control their asthma attacks, and if they don’t have a plan, they should consult their pulmonologist or primary care physician to set one. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that asthma patients work with their doctor and pharmacist to obtain an emergency supply of their prescription medications, such as albuterol inhalers, in case they need to stay home for long periods. This includes always having a “rescue” inhaler on hand should any emergencies arise.
In addition, some asthmatics are triggered by disinfectants, which people have been using more often to prevent the spread of COVID-19. If it’s necessary to be using a disinfectant, a patient with this asthma trigger should ask an adult in their household to clean for them and stay away from the room where the disinfectant is being used.
Some patients with asthma can also have symptoms induced by stress and anxiety, which many people have been experiencing since the start of the pandemic. Take steps to learn how to remain calm under stress, especially if your asthma has been triggered by strong emotions in the past.
Q: How should I monitor for symptoms? A:
If you’ve been diagnosed with asthma and find yourself using your inhaler more often, call your doctor so they can assess your symptoms and determine if there’s another issue at hand, like COVID-19. If you get allergies every year, monitor for symptoms that are different from what you’ve previously experienced and consult your doctor if you’re unsure. If you’re experiencing severe symptoms, call 911.
The best way to know if you have COVID-19 is to get tested. Most importantly, if you can be vaccinated, schedule your appointment right away.
Schedule an appointment with the right doctor to discuss your health and how you can protect yourself against COVID-19 by visiting: memorialhermann.org/ mhmg