Uncommon Allergy Symptoms

Allergies affect more than 50 million Americans.  It is the 6th leading cause of chronic illness.  An allergy is a damaging immune response by the body to a substance in which it has become hypersensitive too.  The most common allergens are mold, pollen, pet skin and fur, foods, and even some medicines. 

When people think of allergy symptoms the most common ones to think about are stuffy nose, congestion, cough, sneezing, coughing, rash or hives.  These are the main ones but there are other symptoms that are not as uncommon that can be symptoms of allergies. 

Uncommon Symptoms To Watch For:

Headaches can be an uncommon symptom of an allergy.  Headaches can sometimes go along with congestion and sinus pressure that are more common symptoms of allergies, but a stand alone headache is not always straight away thought of as an allergy symptom.  Having a frontal forehead headache can be a symptom of an allergy, so next time you just have a headache by itself be aware it could be a sign of an allergy. 

Itchy ears are another that can sometimes mean allergy.  Easily mistaken for swimmers’ ears, or an ear infection itchy ears can bring an adult or a child into the doctor’s office.  When checked by a doctor though the ears will look healthy with no sign of infection.  The itching may get better with over the counter antihistamines, or prescription ear drops.  

Another uncommon symptom could be a sore throat in the morning that gets better throughout the day.  With an allergy that causes congestion doesn’t always mean your nose could be runny.  At night if you have difficulty breathing without knowing it you will need to breathe through your mouth at night, causing your throat to become dryer leading to a sore throat.  During the day while you are more vertical the congestion gets better and you don’t have to breathe through your mouth as much, leading to your throat to feel better. 

Though some skin rashes and hives are common for some allergies, a skin rash can be uncommon.  This is because some skin rashes and hives are associated with food allergies, but someone with eczema can experience flare ups with pollen and dust are thick in the air. 

Some kids can suffer from behavioral issues from an allergy.  This is because they may not be getting as much deep sleep if they are having trouble breathing or resting comfortably.  This can cause a happy, calm child to turn moody, hyperactive, and difficult to redirect.  This can also affect adults as well.  With inadequate sleep we all can feel grumpier than normal.  

Extreme tiredness can also mean an allergy.  If your body is fighting off a substance it takes more energy than normal.  As well as if you are struggling to breathe at night or rest comfortably it can lead you to be extra tired.  

Some uncommon symptoms of food allergies can be abdominal pain, itchy mouth, or diarrhea.  Also you can experience bad breath from allergies, because you may be breathing through your mouth more.  

Diagnosing Allergies:

Usually allergies can be easily diagnosed by yourself.  You will notice what triggers your allergic reactions to where you will be able to treat with over the counter medication. 

If you have a food allergy your doctor will suggest that you do an elimination diet.  Meaning you completely cut out what you are allergic to entirely. If you have a less common allergy you can opt to do a skin test or a blood test.  A skin test can be done by an allergist.  The allergist will scrape our skin and drop an allergen onto the scrapped skin part and then you will wait to see if you have a reaction.  This will be done until you have singled out what you are allergic to.  If you choose not to do this, or you think you will have too severe of a reaction to the skin test you can choose to do a blood test.  You will have a blood draw and the results will be available in a day or two.  

Treatment Options:

Most allergies can be treated with over the counter medications.  Other treatments could be eye drops for itchy eyes, or ear drops for itchy ears.  If you have a life threatening allergy such as to a bee sting or a food allergy epi-pens will be prescribed to you by your doctor.  Your doctor will be able to help come up with a treatment plan when you have discovered what you are allergic to.  If you suffer from allergies from pet skin or fur, you will want to remove pets from your home and try to avoid homes with pets that could flare up your allergies.  Depending on the severity of the allergy will also depend on the treatment that is given. 

Conclusion:

Not all allergies have the signs and symptoms of congestion, sneezing, coughing, rash or hives.  There are some hidden symptoms to allergies that we should be on the alert for.  If you suspect that you have one of these hidden symptoms, speak with your doctor, because sometimes with just routine check ups these can be missed even by them.