Can allergies make you cough? The pollen is upon us, and while many people with allergies may know to expect congestion and other common nasal allergy symptoms, only some may be asking this important question.
Although we wish it weren’t so, allergies can be the cause of both chronic and temporary coughs. But why do allergies make you cough? Are there other allergy cough symptoms? For those who must deal with allergies frequently, are chronic cough treatments available?
Learn the answer to these questions and you will be one step closer to allergy attack relief.
Why do allergies make you cough?
Allergies make you cough when the back of the throat is irritated by pollen or other allergens. When your throat is irritated, coughing is the body’s natural response as it attempts to get rid of the irritant. Unfortunately with allergies the irritant cannot be coughed out of your system, leaving some with a long-last allergy cough.
Allergy cough symptoms
Allergy coughs can come in multiple forms. As described, the first is an allergy dry cough, which occurs when pollen and/or other allergens irritate the back of the throat.
Can allergies cause a cough with mucus?
Indeed they can. When the nasal passages are irritated by allergies, the inflamed membranes of the nasal passages may create an excess of fluid. Once this fluid builds up, it begins to fall down the back of the throat, causing a condition called post-nasal drip. Post-nasal drip irritates the back of the throat which, in turn, causes a cough with mucus.
Other symptoms of coughing include:
- Sore throat
- Shortness of breath
- Runny nose or congestion
- Hoarseness
- Heartburn
If left undiagnosed and untreated, a chronic and persistent cough can escalate to the following:
- Sleep loss
- Night sweats
- Incontinence
- Anxiety
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Chest pain
- Fever
- Unexplained weight loss
- Fractured ribs (in extreme cases)
- Coughing up blood (in extreme cases)
Allergy cough symptoms vs. having a cold
One reason you may have asked “Do allergies make you cough” is because you are trying to figure out if your cough is being caused by a cold or allergies. Allergy coughs can be hard to distinguish from a cough caused by a cold but there are a few clues you can look for.
Did your cough start at the turn of the season?
If so, your cough may be the result of seasonal allergies. Both colds and allergies cause congestion or a runny nose but only allergies make your eyes itchy, so a cough accompanied by itchy eyes is likely allergy-related.
How do you stop an allergy cough?
The next question is how do you get rid of a cough from allergies. Those who have had their cough for a long time might be asking “Can allergies cause a cough that won’t go away? If so, is there any kind of Allergy cough treatment?”
Many coughs caused by allergies can be taken care of with OTC (Over The Counter) medicine. However, for those with allergies that cause chronic sinusitis (and thus chronic cough), a different, more long-term approach might be needed.
If sinusitis caused by allergies is creating the additional frustrating symptom of coughing, Dr. Kaplan and Kaplan Sinus Relief may be able to help. Kaplan Sinus Relief specializes in providing the city Houston with sinus and allergy attack relief via balloon sinuplasty treatment. Balloon sinuplasty is a quick and minimally-invasive procedure that clears your blocked sinuses and allows you to breathe easier and cough less.
Whether you want to know how to stop a post-nasal drip cough or simply want your allergies and sinuses assessed, call Kaplan Sinus Relief at (713) 766-1818 and to get on the road to relief today.
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