Shashi Tharoor's World of Words is a weekly column dissecting English language
Dr Noordin Wadhvaniya, respiratory medicine specialist at the Canadian Specialist Hospital, said changing weather always comes with an onset of respiratory allergies and asthma attacks. "In winter, as the time spent indoors increases, our exposure to indoor allergens also increases. For example, AC vents at homes, offices and cars can cause allergies and infections if not cleaned from time to time. AC vents may contain several allergens including dust, mold, mites, pet dander, etc that can cause allergies in various forms including asthma, runny nose, hives or swelling. With a dip in temperatures, winter cold air can irritate the respiratory tract and cause spasms. Also, cold and flu infections can make symptoms worse."
The common winter allergies, he said include asthma, rhinitis, urticaria and angioedema and are caused by both indoor and outdoor allergens including dust, sand, pollen, dust mites, pet dander, etc. "Many people confuse cold symptoms and allergies. You must remember allergies are not associated with body pain, fever and sore throat but include symptoms like itching, watering/itching of eyes," he added.
Dr Sreekumar Sreedharan, internal medicine specialist at the Aster Clinic Karama, said the difference between regular cold and flu and allergies is the duration of the symptoms. "A cold and flu infection typically lasts no longer than seven to 10 days. Common winter allergies can go on for weeks to months. If your symptoms last longer than a week, it's better to see a doctor."
Some of the most common indoor allergens that can trigger your winter allergies include airborne dust particles, dust mites, pet dander (skin flakes that carry proteins), mold, cockroach droppings, he added.
The best treatment for allergies, Dr Wadhvaniya said is prevention or sanitising your environment against the allergen. "Most allergies can be treated symptomatically using inhalers for asthma, nose sprays for rhinitis, OTC antihistamines, etc. Although there are other kinds of drastic treatments such as immunotherapy but are only considered in serious cases.
He, however, strongly advised people that before any treatment, one must get a diagnosis from their doctor rather than going by the Internet or self-diagnosing and medicating. "It is important to diagnose if the symptoms are due to allergy or an infection. The doctor needs to evaluate the condition in its totality before arriving at any conclusions," Dr Wadhvaniya said.
Steps you can take to keep allergies away
> Instead of using a feather duster use a damp cloth and an organic cleaner
> If you suspect the vents harbour mould or insects or are clogged, you may need to consider professional air duct cleaning
> Use an indoor air purifier
> Maintain indoor temperatures under 21°C and relative humidity in your home below 50% to make it difficult for dust mites and other microorganisms to thrive
> Use a face mask when outdoors
saman@khaleejtimes.com
Shashi Tharoor's World of Words is a weekly column dissecting English language
Between them the two players are set to receive a stake around $150 million from the Tour's newly-formed enterprise
The four-time Grand Slam winner has enjoyed huge success with her powerful baseline game but has struggled on clay
The Tiago has been instrumental in driving Tata Motors’ consistent growth in the hatchback segment
'Women of My Billion' is set to premiere exclusively on Prime Video on May 3
Aditi and Siddharth recently shared the news of their engagement with an adorable picture
Video shows a red 4WD weaving in and out of traffic, causing a collision on the road shoulder
India captain Rohit Sharma said he is not a fan of the rule as it will hold back the development of all-rounders