How do I know if I have hay fever or a cold?
The easiest way to tell them apart is to look at your eyes and the type of discharge from your nose. Hay fever causes itchy, watery eyes and clear, watery nasal discharge, while a cold rarely affects your eyes and produces thick, yellow or green mucus. Hay fever also tends to last for weeks or months (especially between late March and September), whereas a cold usually clears up within 7–10 days.
Key points:
- Hay fever causes itchy eyes and throat; colds do not typically affect your eyes.
- Hay fever produces clear watery discharge; colds produce thick, coloured mucus.
- Colds often bring fever, body aches and fatigue; hay fever rarely does.
- Hay fever is triggered by allergens like pollen and is not contagious, while colds are caused by viruses and spread between people.
This text has been fact-checked for accuracy by medino's clinical team.