What's the difference between the Common Cold and Allergies???

[Emma]

How can you tell which one you have?

[Jack M]

The cold is a virus. Allergies are the body's reactions to otherwise benign materials, normally proteins.

[rebecca v]

I am no doctor but the simple answer would be that colds are caused by a virus.
Alergies on the other hand is your bodys defenses going into overdrive to protect you from something.

[Elizabeth]

The common cold is caused by a virus while allergies are caused by histamines (from pollen, dander, etc).

[charlie]

i have allergies and they suck. my eyes are watery, itchy throat, itchy face and if you can get your hands on a free sample of Clarinex 5mg tablets. It works. I live in dusty Phoenix, AZ and I can not stand this time of year. my nose is clogged and from drainage my ears get slightly stuffed and my voice goes out its disgusting. Good Luck! and maybe you should google it, I know for a fact you need a prescription for it.

[ironbarkpark]

The common cold is caused by a virus, and an allergy is a histamine response to something that it doesn't like you having contact with eg pollens, antibiotics etc

In some instances they can share some symptoms, like sneezing, runny eyes.

[dezbah1911]

The cold is caused by a virus. Allergies are caused by your body trying to get rid of something you have been exposed to (pollen, etc) that is not disease or illness causing (pathogenic) to the body.