Can allergies make your nose itch?

How allergies cause it

Hay fever symptoms can include sneezing, congestion and a runny nose, as well as itching in your nose, eyes and/or the roof of your mouth.³

The itch is a nerve signal. When an allergen lands in the nose of someone with allergic rhinitis, immune cells called mast cells and basophils release histamine.⁴ Histamine then activates nerve fibers in the lining of the nose, and those fibers carry the sensation of itching.⁴

Several common allergens can start it. Pollen allergy can make the nose, eyes, ears and mouth itch.⁵ A dust mite allergy can do the same.⁷ So can a mold allergy.⁸ A cat or dog allergy can cause the same itch; it is a reaction to a protein in the animal’s dander, saliva and urine.⁶

Rubbing the nose can leave a mark. Nasal creases can appear when someone rubs their nose upward often, and this can occur in people with nasal allergies.⁹

Allergies or something else?

If your eyes, nose or ears itch, that could be an allergy.² With a cold, you may have a runny nose, cough, congestion and a sore throat, but you won’t usually have the aches and fever that are common with COVID-19 and flu.²

Allergies cause itching of the nose and eyes along with other nasal symptoms, while colds last about 1 week and cause less itching of the nose and eyes.¹⁰ Allergies usually occur at the same time every year.¹⁰

Nonallergic rhinitis mimics some hay fever symptoms, such as nasal congestion and postnasal drip, but it is not caused by allergies.³ Unlike nasal allergies, these nonallergic nasal problems usually appear in adulthood, don’t usually make your nose and eyes itch, don’t include sneezing and often occur year-round.³

When to see a doctor

An allergist will take a detailed medical history and review your symptoms to find out whether your allergies are triggered by pollens, animal dander, mold, dust mites, cockroaches, weather changes or something else.³ Combined with that history, allergy testing can identify the specific things that trigger your allergic reactions.³

Itching that starts after you eat a food you are allergic to is a different matter. In a food allergy reaction, an itchy or runny nose counts as a mild symptom, but a reaction that involves mild symptoms in more than one body area is a severe reaction.¹¹ For a severe reaction, FARE’s steps include calling 911 and going to the emergency room, even if symptoms appear to resolve.¹¹