HEENT: Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose, And Throat Allergy Symptoms
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Get Tested Search clear search Recent searches Clear History Cancel Search Fact Checked HEENT: Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Throat Allergy Symptoms Share: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
What does the medical abbreviation HEENT mean?
HEENT stands for “head, eyes, ears, nose, and throat.” If someone is experiencing symptoms that affect those areas, such as sneezing, congestion, and a sore throat, they’ll likely receive a HEENT examination. A HEENT exam for allergies is performed by a healthcare provider, typically during a physical examination, and focuses on checking the head, eyes, ears, nose, and throat.
What’s included in a HEENT exam?
Chances are, you have already had a HEENT exam. If a healthcare provider pressed on your sinuses, looked into your ears, and made you stick out your tongue and say “ahhhh” (among other things), you might be one of these people.
So what are healthcare providers looking for in a HEENT exam? While each provider likely performs this exam a bit differently depending on your symptoms and his or her personal preferences, here are some things providers might assess.1,2
- Head (and Neck): Providers may examine and touch your head for tenderness, visible or palpable masses, depressions, and/or scarring. They may also look for parasites, trauma, and more, and they may press on lymph nodes, sinuses, and the thyroid gland to check for abnormalities.
- Eyes: A quick vision check for acuity and peripheral vision may be performed. In addition, providers may examine your mucus membranes, color of the normally white outer layer of the eyeballs, movement of eye muscles, pupils, cornea, reactivity to light, and more.
- Ears: Along with assessing obvious indications of hearing loss, healthcare providers might inspect for ear infections and look for swelling, discharge, and tenderness in the ear canal, as well as excessive ear wax, ear drum issues, and exterior skin abnormalities, among other things.
- Nose: When it comes to the nose, providers may check to see if mucosa is pink and moist and look for discharge. The exam may also involve sinus assessments.
- Throat/Mouth: An oral and throat exam, which often includes the “say ahh” request, helps providers gauge the condition of the tongue, tonsils, lips, gums, teeth, cheeks, and back of the throat.
Are your symptoms caused by cold, flu, or allergies?
Cold, flu, and allergies share several HEENT-related symptoms. So you’ll need a healthcare provider to develop a true diagnosis. That said, according to a newsletter from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, each of these conditions has key symptoms that set it apart from others.3
Allergy
(typically due to airborne allergens)
Cold
Flu
Stuffy, runny nose
Common
Common
Sometimes
Sneezing
Usually
Usually
Sometimes
Sore throat
Sometimes
Common
Sometimes
Cough
Sometimes
Common
Common
Headache
Uncommon
Uncommon
Common
Fever
Never
Rare
Usually
Aches/pain
Never
Slight
Usually
Fatigue/weakness
Sometimes
Sometimes
Usually
Exhaustion
Never
Never
Usually
Chest discomfort
Rare
(except for those with allergic asthma)
Mild to moderate
Common
Symptom duration
Symptoms may persist as long as allergens are present
Up to two weeks
One to two weeks
Allergy
(typically due to airborne allergens)
Stuffy, runny nose
Common
Sneezing
Usually
Sore throat
Sometimes
Cough
Sometimes
Headache
Uncommon
Fever
Never
Aches/pain
Never
Fatigue
Sometimes
Exhaustion
Never
Chest discomfort
Rare
(except for those with allergic asthma)
Symptom duration
Symptoms may persist as long as allergens are present
Cold
Flu
Stuffy, runny nose
Common
Sometimes
Sneezing
Usually
Sometimes
Sore throat
Common
Sometimes
Cough
Common
Common
Headache
Uncommon
Common
Fever
Rare
Usually
Aches/pain
Slight
Usually
Fatigue
Sometimes
Usually
Exhaustion
Never
Usually
Chest discomfort
Mild to moderate
Common
Symptom duration
Up to two weeks
One to two weeks
Additionally, Health Partners, a nonprofit healthcare provider, offers these symptom-related generalizations.4
- Allergies in and of themselves never cause fevers, and they rarely cause chills. Plus, allergy symptoms, which can last for weeks or longer, typically follow a pattern closely related to allergen exposure.
- A cold is often associated with a wet, hacking cough that produces mucus or phlegm that gets progressively thicker and may have a green or yellow tinge.
- Allergies cause more HEENT itching than colds or flu. If you have an itchy throat, ears, nose, and/or eyes, you’re likely experiencing allergy symptoms.
How can you diagnose HEENT symptoms?
The first step in treating your symptoms is often to first understand their cause. After all, while cold, flu, and allergy symptoms may be similar, colds and flu are caused by viruses, and allergy symptoms are triggered by exposure to allergens, such as pollen, mold, pet dander, dust mites, cockroaches, and more.
However, a simple blood test along with your symptom history and physical exam may help your healthcare provider differentiate between allergy symptoms and those of colds and flu. And almost any healthcare provider can order one.
To prepare for a healthcare visit, you can complete our symptom tracker, which will generate a comprehensive symptom profile you can then review with your healthcare provider to decide if a specific IgE blood test is right for you.
Track Your SymptomsHow are HEENT symptoms treated?
Once you understand the cause of your HEENT-related symptoms, your healthcare provider may suggest the following.
Cold Treatments OptionsYour healthcare provider may suggest that you: 3
- Get ample rest and drink plenty of fluids.
- Consider over-the-counter (OTC) medications for symptom relief.
Your healthcare provider may suggest that you: 3
- Get ample rest and drink plenty of fluids.
- Consider OTC medications for symptom relief.
- Take pain relievers such as aspirin, acetaminophen/paracetamol, and ibuprofen, which are commonly used to reduce fever and/or aches.
- Employ antiviral medications.
Your healthcare provider may suggest that you: 5
- Identify specific allergens to which you’re sensitized via methods such as blood testing for allergies and take steps to limit exposure to them.
- Take antihistamines, which are commonly used to reduce symptoms such as sneezing, itching, and runny nose.
- Consider nasal corticosteroids, which are employed to reduce swelling in the nose and block allergic reactions.
- Relieve stuffiness with decongestants.
- Consider allergen immunotherapy, as directed by your healthcare provider, which may help you develop tolerance to some types of allergen exposures.
Where can you learn more?
For additional insights about food, indoor, and seasonal allergens, peruse our Allergen Fact Sheets covering allergens such as mold, pet dander, cockroaches, dust mites, pollen, alpha-Gal, insect venom, and more).
You’ll find info about where each allergen is most likely found as well as common symptoms, exposure-reduction tactics, symptom-relief info, and potential cross-reactivities and risks for severe events such as anaphylaxis.
To stay up to date on myriad allergy-related topics, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Your head, eyes, ears, nose, and throat are all interconnected.
A virus or allergy that is affecting one of them may also impact the others, as they are all part of your upper respiratory system.
Learn more about what’s related to your head, eyes, ears, nose, and throat symptoms:
Allergic Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye) Symptoms and Causes What is pink eye? And what's the difference between allergic versus nonallergic conjunctivitis? Explore these answers and more. What is allergy cross-reactivity? Did you know that if you have a latex allergy, you might react to some fruits as well? This phenomenon involves a type of cross-reactivity. Learn more. What is an ear infection? Did you know inflammation and congestion from allergies can lead to ear infections? Learn more about ear infection causes and symptoms.Tools for Understanding Allergies
Track allergy symptoms and prepare for a visit with a healthcare provider.
Track your symptomsLearn about specific allergens, including common symptoms, management, and relief.
Allergen Fact SheetsAre you a healthcare provider? Get comprehensive information on hundreds of whole allergens and allergen components.
Allergen Encyclopedia References- Des Moines University Medicine & Health Sciences [Internet]. Des Moines, IA: Des Moines University; accessed May 5, 2022. Available from: https://www.dmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/HEENT-Exam-Teaching-Docket.pdf
- ThriveAP Inc. [Internet]. ThriveAP Inc.: Nashville, TN: Thrive AP Inc; 2016 Dec. 20. Available from: https://thriveap.com/blog/411-documenting-heent-exam.
- National Institutes of Health [Internet]. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health; 2014 October. Available from: https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2014/10/cold-flu-or-allergy.
- HealthPartners [Internet]. Bloomington, MN: HealthPartners; Accessed May 5, 2022. Available from: https://www.healthpartners.com/blog/cold-or-allergies.
- Mayo Clinic [Internet]. Rochester, MN: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2019 May 14. Available from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pet-allergy/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20352198.
Fact Checked
Allergy Insider is committed to providing accurate, evidence-based information to empower allergy patients and support healthcare providers.
Allergy Insider content is:
- Based on objective information from medical literature and peer-reviewed scientific publications (which are referenced within the text and via the References section at the bottom of most pages)
- Fact-checked and reviewed by our medical and scientific affairs team, comprising practicing healthcare providers
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- Kuwait
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- Laos
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- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macau
- Macedonia
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mali
- Malta
- Martinique
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mayotte
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Montserrat
- Morocco
- Mozambique
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- México
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- Netherlands
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- S. Georgia and S. Sandwich Isls.
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- San Marino
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Slovak Republic
- Slovenia
- Somalia
- South Africa
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- St. Helena
- Suriname
- Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands
- Swaziland
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- Switzerland
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- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
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- Togo
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- Trinidad and Tobago
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- Turkmenistan
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Tag » What Is Heent In Medical Terms
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