Though allergies and asthma can have similar symptoms, these conditions are distinct in many ways. Asthma is a chronic obstructive respiratory disease in which the lining of the airways in the lungs becomes swollen and secretes mucus. This leads to difficulty breathing. Allergies, on the other hand, are generally seasonal and involve immune responses to foreign substances such as pollen or mold. Analysis of symptoms can help asthma or allergy sufferers distinguish between the two.
Wheezing
The classic symptom of asthma is wheezing. Constricted, mucus-filled airways make it difficult to exhale air, leaving asthma sufferers working much harder than usual to breathe. Respirations are often characterized by a racking, whistling or wheezing sound as air is forced through narrow passages. The National Institutes of Health, or NIH, indicates that shortness of breath and a feeling of tightness in the chest are also common symptoms of asthma, as is a dry cough. Since seasonal allergies can worsen symptoms of underlying asthma, it’s possible for allergies to trigger wheezing in asthmatics. Seasonal allergies alone, however, generally don’t cause wheezing or shortness of breath, notes MayoClinic.com. Asthma sufferers typically experience symptoms at night or in the morning, during exercise or when exposed to cold air or an allergy trigger.
Nose and Eye Symptoms
Seasonal allergies lead to swollen, clogged nasal passages, according to MayoClinic.com. In contrast to asthma, which causes respiratory difficulty due to lung congestion but does not affect the nasal passages, allergies frequently lead to stuffiness, nasal irritation and itching, and a runny nose. Itchy, watery eyes are also associated with seasonal allergies, but not with asthma. Further, unlike asthma, seasonal allergies are associated with changes in pollen levels, exposure to mold and dust, or exposure to the substance triggering the allergy. Time of day, exercise and air temperature do not affect seasonal allergies.
Hives and Swollen Throat
MayoClinic.com warns that while symptoms of seasonal allergies are annoying but harmless, allergic reactions to food, drugs and insect stings can be life-threatening. Called anaphylaxis, these extremely severe allergic reactions resemble asthma more closely than they do seasonal allergies at the outset, including wheezing and difficulty breathing. As anaphylaxis progresses, it leads to hives, swelling of the tongue and throat, and eventually an inability to breathe. These allergic reactions are true medical emergencies, and left untreated, can be fatal. MayoClinic.com notes that the most common triggers of anaphylaxis-type allergies are peanuts, tree nuts and other high-allergen foods, bee stings and penicillin drugs.
