What Does My Child’s Sneeze Mean?

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Though much of the beauty of spring is its vivid colors, rosy-red eyes and noses aren’t a part of them. Runny noses, sneezing and coughing often trumpet spring’s return, but many parents wonder does my child have a cold or is it allergies?

“It’s easy to get allergies and colds confused because they have several of the same symptoms,” said Hannah Chow, MD, pediatrician at Loyola University Health System.

According to Chow one of the easiest ways to tell the difference is check to see if your child has a fever.

“If your child has a fever he or she has a virus. Fevers never occur with allergies,” said Chow.

Both can cause a runny nose, stuffiness and congestion, which may produce post nasal drip and lead to coughing. Still, there are several differences including:

Allergies: Look for runny, itchy eyes and nose. Eyes are often red from irritation. Cough may be present, but not prominent.

Cold: Though some viruses may cause runny noses and eye redness these symptoms aren’t the result of itchiness. The virus may cause a fever, but never itchy eyes or noses.
Coughing is prominent; whereas with allergies, coughing is possible, but not always present. Also, colds are contagious and allergies are not.

“Though some of the symptoms are the same, the treatments are different,” said Chow.

Allergies:

According to Chow the best way to avoid an allergic reaction is to avoid the allergen. If it’s an environmental allergy try to limit exposure when the allergen levels are high.

“Obviously, we don’t want kids to only stay indoors, but try to minimize exposure to the allergen. Also, rinse out a child’s eyes and nose when they come inside to remove possible allergen particles. Showering will help get the allergen off the rest of the body,” said Chow.

If your child is exposed to the allergens and has a reaction antihistamines should bring some relief from the symptoms. If antihistamines don’t control symptoms or if your child has a food allergy she suggests seeing a pediatric allergist and asking about allergy testing.

Colds:

“The only cure for a cold is time. A cold is a virus that can’t be treated with antibiotics. Antibiotics will help in no way, shape or form and will not reduce the length of the illness. It just has to run its 5-12 day course. Lots of liquids and lots of rest is the best way to treat a cold,” said Chow.

Over-the-counter medications should be used sparingly and only if the child is over the age of 4. According to Chow these medication may help treat symptoms, but will not reduce the duration of the illness. She suggests using saline for the nose, humidifier to help with breathing, children’s acetaminophen or ibuprofen for achiness and gargling salt water to soothe the throat.

“It’s hard when kids are sick. Remember that viruses go away with a tincture of time,” said Chow.

For media inquires, please contact Evie Polsley at or call (708) 216-5313 or (708)

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Based in the western suburbs of Chicago, Loyola University Health System is a quaternary care system with a 61-acre main medical center campus, the 36-acre Gottlieb Memorial Hospital campus and 22 primary and specialty care facilities in Cook, Will and DuPage counties. The medical center campus is conveniently located in Maywood, 13 miles west of the Chicago Loop and 8 miles east of Oak Brook, Ill. The heart of the medical center campus, Loyola University Hospital, is a 570-licensed bed facility. It houses a Level 1 Trauma Center, a Burn Center and the Ronald McDonald® Children’s Hospital of Loyola University Medical Center. Also on campus are the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, Loyola Outpatient Center, Center for Heart & Vascular Medicine and Loyola Oral Health Center as well as the LUC Stritch School of Medicine, the LUC Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing and the Loyola Center for Health & Fitness. Loyola’s Gottlieb campus in Melrose Park includes the 250-bed community hospital, the Gottlieb Health & Fitness Center and the Marjorie G. Weinberg Cancer Care Center.

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Source: Loyola University Health System

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