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respiratory tract or a common cold. There
are some differences that enable us to iden-
tify these processes:
•
On average, the symptoms of a common
cold or viral process usually last about a
week.
•
There is no fever or muscle pain in allergic
processes.
•
Although coughing may appear when su-
ffering from an allergy, it is more frequent
and prolonged when someone has a
cold.
•
The evolution of the situation and the res-
ponse to treatment is clearly different;
while a common cold requires only symp-
tomatic treatment, allergies respond to
antihistamines that reduce or eliminate
the symptoms.
Treatment
An antihistamine is the treatment of choice
for allergies. These drugs block the libera-
tion of histamines, the substance responsi-
ble for the allergy symptoms. It is important
to take antihistamines on a regular basis
when you have an allergy, preferably at
night. There are two types of antihistami-
nes: the classical or first generation, and
the non-sedating or second generation an-
tihistamines, more frequently used nowa-
days because they are more selective, their
penetration in the central nervous system
is more limited and, as such, cause less
drowsiness and, therefore, are considered
safer since they do not interfere with day-
to-day activities. These are found in the
form of tablets, syrups, nasal sprays, and
eye-drops. The following well-known drugs
are part of this group of antihistamines: Lo-
ratadine (Claratyne), Desloratadine (Aerius),
Ebastine (Ebastel), Rupatadine (Rupafin,
Alergoliver), and Azelastine (Afluón).
Immunotherapy and vaccination are
treatments that should be taken into accou-
nt. Vaccines treat the cause of the allergy.
Small amounts of the allergen are adminis-
tered to the patient so that, over time, the
response of the body changes rendering
the allergen inoffensive without producing
any symptoms.
Vaccines do not have to be used in all ca-
ses. If the symptoms are mild and isolated,
they respond well to medication and evolve
favourably in a spontaneous manner and,
if it is easy to avoid the allergen, vaccines
will not be necessary. If, on the contrary,
the symptoms are intense, frequent, disa-
bling or limit activities and do not respond
well to drugs or evolve unfavourably, vac-
cine treatment should not be delayed. The
recommendation of starting the vaccine
treatment is done by a specialist after a de-
tailed analysis.
Prevention
Avoid contact with allergens. This is better
than having to treat the symptoms of an
allergic reaction.
This measure is possible in allergies caused
by drugs, certain animals or specific subs-
tances that can be avoided.