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Citation: Nawaz Z, Pullen F, Rivera-Mariani FE, Rizvi SAA, Sanchez-Gonzalez MA, et al. (2020) Spring is Here, Now What? Know the difference
between a cold, u, coronavirus and allergy. Emerg Infect Dis Diag J: EIDDJ-100010
Emerg Infect Dis Diag J, an open access journal
ISSN 2652-4449
Emerging Infectious Diseases and
Diagnosis Journal
Short Review Article Nawaz Z, et al. Emerg Infect Dis Diag J: EIDDJ-100010
Spring is here, now what? Know the Difference Between a Cold,
Flu, Coronavirus and Allergy
Nawaz Z1*, Pullen F2, Rivera-Mariani FE3, Rizvi SAA4, Sanchez-Gonzalez MA5, Smollar M6 and Grogan T6
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
2Department of Otolaryngology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
3College of Biomedical Sciences, Larkin University, Miami, FL, USA
4Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hampton University School of Pharmacy, Hampton, VA, USA
5Division of Clinical & Translational Research, Larkin Health System, South Miami, FL, USA
6MedScience Research Group, Inc., West Palm Beach, FL, USA
Volume 02; Issue 01
1
*Corresponding author: Zafar Nawaz, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Miller School of Medicine, University of
Miami, Miami, FL, USA, Tel: (305) 243-1456; Email: znawaz@med.miami.edu
Citation: Nawaz Z, Pullen F, Rivera-Mariani FE, Rizvi SAA, Sanchez-Gonzalez MA, et al. (2020) Spring is Here, Now What? Know
the difference between a cold, u, coronavirus and allergy. Emerg Infect Dis Diag J: EIDDJ-100010
Received date:20 March, 2020; Accepted date:23 March, 2020; Published date: 30 March, 2020
Introduction
Q. What do we learn when we ask a Professor of Molecular Biology,
Professor of Immunology, Professor of Ear Nose and Throat
Surgery with over 30 years of allergy experience, Professor of
Pharmaceutical Sciences, and a Professor of Medical Education?
A.We learn the correct answers to some of the most current and
confusing public health and medical questions relating to common
allergies and infectious pathogens.
The Spring of 2020 is now upon us, but this season is
very alarming for many. Recently, because our population is
in a frenzy about the impact that the Novel coronavirus disease
2019 (COVID-19) may have, but it also coincides with the end
of the northern hemispheres winter. That has many people still
ill, suffering and passing on this year’s latest inuenza (the u)
orother winter infectious-related colds. In addition, a considerable
number of seasonal allergy sufferers are beginning to experience
their watery eyes, congestion and runny nose symptoms that they
dread year after year, due to their over-reacting immune system
and inammatory response, i.e., their allergies.
So, what is the difference between a cold, the u, the
coronavirus, and an allergy? The common cold, also known as
acute viral rhinopharyngitis and acute coryza, is a viral infection
of the upper respiratory system. On the other hand, the u results
from the infection by the inuenza virus, classied as types A and
B (most common), or C [1,2]. According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), inuenza in the United States this
year alone has caused an estimated 34 million illnesses, 350,000
hospitalizations and 20,000 deaths this season. So, viral diseases
are not new! The human population has been living with viral
infections for some time. Then, why the extraordinary reaction
to this newcoronavirus? The novel coronavirus 19, is a new strain
of coronaviruses (CoV) causing an upper respiratory infection
similar to common colds; however, previously other corona viruses
are implicated in respiratory complications including, Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV), and Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV). According to Dr. Anthony
Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases (NIAID), “guarantee as we get into March and April u
cases are going to go down, you can predict pretty accurately what
the range of the mortality and hospitalizations will be. The issue
now with COVID-19 is there’s a lot of unknowns”. According to
the CDC report, as of the time and date of this submission, March
15, 2020 the total COVID-19 cases in the United States were 2952,
and the total deaths 57[3]. According to the CDC, the symptoms
of the coronavirus include a fever of 101.4 or higher, cough, and
shortness of breath. It is associated with an incubation exposure
of 2 to 14 days. Usually, there’s no evidence of runny nose or sore
throat (Table 1). The inuenza virus usually begins with a stuffy
nose followed by a sore throat and then cough. These symptoms
2
Citation: Nawaz Z, Pullen F, Rivera-Mariani FE, Rizvi SAA, Sanchez-Gonzalez MA, et al. (2020) Spring is Here, Now What? Know the difference
between a cold, u, coronavirus and allergy. Emerg Infect Dis Diag J: EIDDJ-100010
Volume 02; Issue 01
Emerg Infect Dis Diag J, an open access journal
ISSN 2652-4449
3
may last 2 to 3 weeks, but in some cases, it could be even longer. An allergic reaction such as allergic rhinitis, on the other hand, usually
begins with a stuffy nose, runny nose, postnasal drip, itchiness of the nose or throat, followed by sneezing. It is rarely associated with a
sore throat. It will last for longer than 2 to 3 weeks and may last for several months. It may also be associated with a cough due to the
copious postnasal drip of mucus.
Symptoms
Disease Fever Cough Shortness of Breath Runny Nose Itchy Sore
Throat
Incubation
Time
Flu Yes Yes No Yes No Yes 2-4 Days
COVID
19
Yes. 101.4 and
above Yes Yes No No No 2-14 Days
Allergy No Yes No Yes Yes No Months
Table 1:These symptoms may last 2 to 3 weeks, but in some cases, it could be even longer.
Allergies are when your immune system reacts to a foreign
substance called an allergen, and it might be the newly released
pollen or something you inhale or inject or touch or even food
items. The reaction causes coughing, sneezing, itchy eyes, runny
nose and a scratchy throat. Seasonal allergies begin primarily in the
spring, and since we are in the early stages of spring, we thought
it would be interesting to give a little background on allergies. For
example, spring allergies are caused by the release of pollen into
the air primarily from trees that had begun to bloom. The most
common of these include Birch, Bayberry, Elms, Oak, Maple,
Pine, especially Australian, and even some Palm trees. When you
go out to your car in the morning, you may see yellow dust all over
it: that is tree pollen. Coincidentally, just a few weeks ago, in early
March 2020, the Larkin Community Hospital Institutional Review
Board (IRB) in Miami approved a rst of its time novel study titled
Patient Education: Do you know your Allergy IQ? This timely
study aims to evaluate responder’s allergy knowledge and beliefs
relating to common allergen triggers and environmental control
strategies, comparing doctors and other health professionals to
laypeople to nd out who knows more about their allergies.
Do you know your Allergy IQ? Test yourself with these sample
questions:
Which symptom helps to tell the difference between an allergy, a
cold, or a virus?
a) Stuffy nose
b) Cough
c) Headache
d) Itchiness
Over half of those that took the survey got the answer wrong.
A chemical called histamine is the usual culprit for the
sensation of itchy nose, eyes, or skin found in allergy. Colds, Flu’s,
and viruses don’t tend to make you feel itchy.
Which is the main allergen (a substance that triggers allergy)
that hits many spring allergy sufferers?
a) Tree
b) Ragweed
c) Mold
d) Dust mites
If you suffer from seasonal allergies caused by tree pollen,
you want to know this. Our data showed only 8% of quiz respond-
ers got this answer correct. In many areas of the United States,
spring allergies begin in February and last until the early summer.
Tree pollination begins early in the year followed by grass pollina-
tion later in the spring and summer and ragweed in the late sum-
mer and fall. In tropical climates, however, grass may pollinate
throughout a good portion of the year. Mild winter temperatures
can cause plants to pollinate early.
What is the best way to prevent seasonal allergy symptoms on a
high-pollen day?
a) Create a ‘pet free’ bedroom
b) Brush/wipe your pet before entering the home
c) Pretreat with your allergy medications before exposure
d) All of the above
Our current sample data found that 84% answered this question
incorrectly.
Speak with your doctor or pharmacist and start taking
allergy medicine before the pollen season or high pollen count
days to help you more than waiting to experience and react to your
allergysymptoms
Here are the facts
●Allergy is currently the 6th leading chronic disease in the
US [4].
3
Citation: Nawaz Z, Pullen F, Rivera-Mariani FE, Rizvi SAA, Sanchez-Gonzalez MA, et al. (2020) Spring is Here, Now What? Know the difference
between a cold, u, coronavirus and allergy. Emerg Infect Dis Diag J: EIDDJ-100010
Volume 02; Issue 01
Emerg Infect Dis Diag J, an open access journal
ISSN 2652-4449
●Allergy affects over 50M Americans [4].
●Allergies and Asthma cost the economy $Billions each
year [4].
●There is a published shortage of Board-certied Allergy
specialists to treat the number of allergy sufferers [5].
●There are identied gaps in primary care provider (PCP)
and non-allergy board-certied specialist training/
knowledge relating to evidence-based allergic disease
management [6].
●Allergen triggers and understanding of environmental
control strategies for allergic diseases can be confusing
[7].
●Many allergy sufferers self-medicate using OTC
medications without consulting their medical
professional’s advice [8].
●Evidence-based prevention strategies currently exist for
better controlling and/or managing allergies [7].
Based on these facts, when you know you have an allergy
and not a viral infection, what can you do? The immune response
to an allergen (in most cases, otherwise benign substances such as
pollen, animal dander, etc.) starts with sensitization (i.e. immune
system “getting confused”) followed by the development of a
specic immune response (production of an allergen-specic
antibody) towards the usually benign substance. Allergic rhinitis
(itchy, watery eyes, and sneezing) is also antibody-mediated, such as
Immunoglobulin E, inammatory response that affects up to 40% of
the population worldwide [9]. Avoiding exposure to allergen is the
rst step. It should be part of an overall treatment strategy, followed
by the use of either over the counter or prescription medications
to address the symptoms. The most common oral medications,
Zyrtec (cetirizine), Allegra (fexofenadine), Xyzal (levocetirizine),
Claritin (loratadin), Benadryl (diphenhydramine), Dimetapp
(Brompheniramine), Chlor-Trimeton (chlorpheniramine), and
Tavist (clemastine) are found over the counter. These medications
help to alleviate the symptoms but do not treat the cause of your
allergy specic allergen reaction. As of now, only allergen-
specic immunotherapy is known to cure the disease[10]. When
medication treatment is no longer successful or avoidance is not
possible, such as being allergic to family pets such as cats or
dogs, immunotherapy is recommended. Today, immunotherapy
is available in both the traditional injection method and, in some
instances, with oral drops or tablets: this is the only mechanism
that actually overcomes the allergy permanently.
Allergen Immunotherapy (Desensitization)
Desensitization is increasingly being prescribed
therapeutically by many physicians to reduce allergen-specic
sensitivity. Low doses of offending allergens are slowly introduced
to the immune system by allergy shots or oral tablets or drops
similar to other types of vaccines. Patients who tolerate the
allergen immunotherapy have these doses progressively increased
based on the patient’s tolerance. Doses are delivered weekly in
the case of injections or daily with oral treatment. These regimens
are becoming more standardized and generally agreed upon by
national and international allergy and immunology societies. The
end result is the same. The body has become immunized to the
allergens that have caused you such discomfort.
How does it work?
When exposed to the natural allergen (pollen), the body
releases chemicals that cause allergic reactions seen in allergic
rhinitis. These chemicals are what make you often feel very
itchy in the nose, eyes, or skin. That is why anti-histamines are
recommended for allergic symptoms.The changes to the immune
system as a result of immunotherapy are divided into immediate
and late effects. Many researchers agree that around 6-8 weeks
after commencing allergen immunotherapy treatment, a kind of
intelligent white blood cell promotes the production of specic
proteins that reduce pro-inammatory chemicals. The production
of these proteins, as a result, has a positive effect on the over-
reactive immune system. The benet from the body’s production
of this protein gradually increases over 2-3 years and, in some
sufferers, alleviates the allergy permanently.
The future
Medical scientists continue to seek the exact scientic
mechanisms to explain how allergen immunotherapy works.
Nevertheless, suffering patients who are sensitive to environmental
allergens such as tree pollen during springtime continue to show
impressive results with available medications and allergen
immunotherapy. The future will likely be treatment with
nanoparticles of the offending antigen and will also include many
food allergies.
Conclusion
COVID-19 indeed represents an important public health
concern affecting the nation at this point. However, it is essential
to point out that COVID-19 has coincided with seasonal diseases
such as the u and the upcoming spring with its increases in
allergic cases. Recognizing the signs and symptoms of each of
these conditions is an important step in minimizing the impact
of both infectious and non-infectious disorders such as allergic
disease in the general public.
References
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Citation: Nawaz Z, Pullen F, Rivera-Mariani FE, Rizvi SAA, Sanchez-Gonzalez MA, et al. (2020) Spring is Here, Now What? Know the difference
between a cold, u, coronavirus and allergy. Emerg Infect Dis Diag J: EIDDJ-100010
Volume 02; Issue 01
Emerg Infect Dis Diag J, an open access journal
ISSN 2652-4449
https://acaai.org/allergies/allergy-treatment/environmental-trigger-7.
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