Can allergies cause a sore throat?
Ranging from slightly to seriously uncomfortable, sore throats are a pain in the neck—literally.
A scratchy and dry throat limits your ability to enjoy a conversation or a meal and generally makes you miserable with each swallow.
Sore throats are often linked to colds, flu, or even something as harmless as cheering for your favorite team or band. But did you know allergies can also cause a sore throat?
Allergies trigger a bit of a domino effect that often leads to a sore throat. Here’s how it happens: If you’re allergic to something, you may become congested. Some of that extra mucus may start to trickle down the back of your throat from your nose. This is called postnasal drip. As it builds up, your throat may start to tickle before it becomes scratchy and sore.
Common allergens include:
- Dust
- Pet dander
- Pollen
- Molds
- Smoke
Try to remove allergens from your home or environment to see if it relieves your sore throat.
Symptoms
While colds and flu are viruses or infections, allergies are your immune system’s response to substances it thinks are foreign and harmful to your body. Allergies and colds have many symptoms in common, so figuring out what’s causing your sore throat can be challenging at first.
Both allergies and colds can cause:
- Stuffy heads
- Runny noses
- Postnasal drip
- Sore throat
- Difficulty swallowing
- Watery, itchy eyes
- Dark under-eye circles
The difference between colds and allergies are timeframes: Colds typically last a week or two at most. And allergies can stick around for weeks or even months. This is especially true if the allergen your body is reacting to is still nearby.
Once you or your health care provider determine that your sore throat is caused by allergies, you can decide how best to treat it.
Remedies
As anyone who’s ever suffered from a sore throat knows that finding relief from the discomfort is key. The following remedies are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to treat the pain:
- Over-the-counter medication. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen are pain relievers used to treat mild to moderate discomfort. Finding a medication that contains an antihistamine can also help. These drugs are commonly used to treat allergies because they lower the impact of your body’s natural chemical histamine, which can make you sneeze and leave you with watery eyes or a runny nose.
- Warm liquids. Drinking plenty of fluids will help you stay hydrated and ease your scratchy, dry throat. Soups and decaffeinated teas with honey are popular, longtime remedies.
- Gargle with salt water. Add a quarter to a half teaspoon of salt to eight ounces of warm water and gargle over a sink. This should provide some temporary relief from sore throat pain.
- Cough drops. Lozenges soothe a sore throat by keeping it moist.
- Use a humidifier. Sleeping in a bedroom with a running humidifier may help prevent that nighttime tickle in your throat by keeping air moist. This may make you comfortable enough to get a good night’s rest, which will also make you feel better.
When to contact your health care provider
If your symptoms don’t improve, or you feel worse, you should contact your health care provider. The American Academy of Otolaryngology2 recommends alerting your doctor if you have any of the following symptoms:
- Difficulty breathing, swallowing, or opening your mouth
- Swelling of the neck or face
- Earache
- Rash
- A fever of 101°F or higher
- Lumps in the throat or neck
If you have allergies that lead to a sore throat, treating them with OTC medication or natural remedies may provide you with relief from pain and discomfort. But if your symptoms worsen, contact your health care provider to rule out a more serious health concern.
Published on January 30, 2020
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/community/for-patients/common-illnesses/sore-throat.html