Cold and flu is probably the most familiar disease, so as soon as someone suddenly sneeze and runny nose, people will first think of cold and flu, buy cold and flu medicine to treat, and the result will not be cured for a long time, more serious. In fact, many times it is not a cold, but allergic rhinitis. The difference between allergic rhinitis and cold and flu: Difference one: the cause is different cold and flu is caused by viruses, allergic rhinitis is caused by tiny particles in the air, such as dust, pollen, animal hair, airborne mold, etc., but also because of the temperature and humidity shift in the air. Difference 2: Different symptoms The symptoms of cold and flu are not only in the nose, it is also a disease that affects the whole human system. In the case of allergic rhinitis, only a few patients feel tired, while most of them only have nose symptoms, such as itchy nose, sneezing, runny nose and nasal congestion, without fever and sore throat. Difference 3: Different duration of onset The onset of cold and flu is short and can be cured after treatment, usually in about a week. Allergic rhinitis, on the other hand, is a long-term disease and can be divided into seasonal and long-term attacks according to the attack pattern. Seasonal allergic rhinitis is also often referred to as hay fever because most of them are caused by pollen allergies, which occur in spring and summer because this is the pollen dispersal season. There are also some patients who have allergic rhinitis without a certain pattern and have attacks at any time of the year, but not every day, but only on certain days, but without a pattern and with different severity. Some patients have particularly severe attacks in the winter when the weather is dry, or more frequently in the summer when they enter or leave a room with cold air. Diagnosis and treatment: Allergic rhinitis needs to be treated promptly, as medication only temporarily reduces symptoms and desensitization therapy takes a long time. Since allergic rhinitis is similar to cold and flu, many patients are unable to distinguish between the two, so it is important to diagnose the condition in order to treat it.