Summer Symptoms: Is it a Cold, Hay Fever or Asthma?

Hay Fever or Allergies

• Hay fever often causes red, itchy or watery eyes, in addition to the more cold-like symptoms.
• The symptoms are usually worse outside, particularly if your child is near the plants that are releasing the pollen.
• Hay fever is an allergy to pollen, so it will only appear during the spring and summer, when pollen is being released. The symptoms will usually last longer than a cold, but they might only appear when a particular plant is flowering.

Asthma

• Asthma symptoms are often worse in the morning, at bedtime or after exercise.
• As with hay fever, the symptoms can also appear when your child comes in contact with specific allergens, but they aren’t always linked with pollen.
• Asthma is a chronic condition, so the symptoms won’t go away like a cold and they won’t be seasonal like hay fever. Although they can seem to disappear between attacks, you’ll notice your child is often wheezing or coughing throughout the year.

Although it is often possible to tell the difference between asthma, hay fever and viral infections in children in summer, these problems can also happen together. Many children have both hay fever and asthma, and the symptoms of asthma can be exacerbated by colds. If you’re in any doubt about your child’s symptoms, you can always ask your doctor for advice.