How do I know if it's allergies or just a cold? Dr. Mallika Marshall answers your questions

BOSTON - Dr. Mallika Marshall is answering your latest health questions. If you have a question, email her or message her on Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter).

Jackson in Weston says, "I have a stuffy nose, headache and dry cough. I don't know if it's my allergies or just a cold. How can I tell?"

Stuffy or runny nose and sneezing are typical symptoms of both seasonal allergies and the common cold. But people with a cold usually feel sicker. They may have a fever, sore throat, fatigue, headache, and a bad cough.

People with allergies tend to have more itchiness like itchy eyes, itchy throat, or itchy nose, and tend to develop the symptoms around the same time each year. If you have a stuffy nose, headache, and cough without any itching, you're more likely to have a cold than seasonal allergies.  

Dr. Mallika is offering her best advice, but as always, consult your personal doctor before making any decisions about your personal health.  

In:
• Allergies
• Health

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

Twitter Facebook