Spring allergy or a cold

In March and April, clinics see the same symptoms from two completely different causes. A blocked nose, sneezing and a runny nose can be a cold or hay fever, and telling them apart changes everything that follows.

Duration is the first distinguishing sign. A cold develops over a day or two and passes in seven to ten days. Allergic rhinitis lasts for weeks, as long as there is pollen in the air, and comes back every year at roughly the same time.

Itching is the second. An itchy nose, itchy and watery eyes and an itchy palate hardly ever occur with a cold, but with an allergy they are often the most troublesome part. Sneezing comes in bouts, the discharge is watery and clear, and there is usually no fever. A sore throat that comes first and a discharge that thickens within a few days point more towards an infection. The colour of the discharge, however, says little about the cause, and thick yellow discharge on its own is not a sign that you need an antibiotic.

It also helps to notice the circumstances. An allergy gets worse outdoors, in windy and dry weather and after mowing, and eases during rain and indoors. A cold does not care about the weather, but often someone else in the household gets it next.

If it is an allergy, the first measures are not medicines. Rinse your hair in the evening, do not take the day’s clothes to bed, keep windows closed at night and in the early morning, when pollen levels are highest, and air rooms after rain. Sunglasses reduce the amount of pollen that gets into your eyes.

When that is not enough, an examination makes sense. The pulmonology clinic also deals with allergic conditions. Spirometry measures how much air you can breathe out and how fast, and allergy testing helps find out what triggers the symptoms: pollen, dust mites, moulds or animal hair. A test result is not a diagnosis on its own; it only gains meaning in relation to your symptoms and how they change over the year.

The ENT clinic is the right choice when the nose is the main problem: a nose that has been blocked for a long time, recurring sinusitis, loss of smell that does not go away after a cold, or one blocked ear. The specialist examines the nasal cavity and throat and distinguishes allergic inflammation of the mucous membrane from other causes, such as nasal polyps or a deviated septum. Examinations at the ENT clinic are self-pay and you do not need a referral for them.

The pulmonology clinic at the centre is run by two providers. A self-pay examination is available with both and you do not need a referral for it; care covered by public health insurance through the Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia (ZZZS) is provided by Objem zdravja, so with a referral from your personal doctor you book directly with them. If you have sudden shortness of breath, wheezing that does not ease, or swelling of the lips and tongue with difficulty breathing, call 112.