|
Do you frequently go to bed or wake up with
a runny and/or blocked nose or have sneezing fits and wonder if
it is an allergy or a cold? To determine the difference, take
the following test. Ask yourself :
1. Do you frequently have
a. runny or stuffed nose, sneezing, wheezing, watery and/or itchy
eyes?
b. symptoms of (a) plus fever, aches and pains?
2. When do you have the symptoms?
a. immediately once exposed to allergens like dust, dust mites,
mould or pet dander
b. usually a few days to hit full force
How long will the symptoms last?
a. as long as there is exposure to allergens, usually more than
10 days
b. clear up in several days to a week
If (a) is the common answer, there is a great
chance you are allergic.
Also, if both of your parents have allergies,
your chances of developing allergies are 50-75%. If only one parent
has allergies, the risk is 25-50%. Even if neither of your parents
have allergies, you have about a 10% chance of developing one
yourself.
You do not inherit the tendency to be allergic
to the same things though. The allergens most likely to cause
an individual’s allergic symptoms is dependent on what they
are exposed very regularly especially in the first year of an
infant’s life.
|
