Warm Weather Is on the Horizon and So Are Allergies
5 minute read
April 14, 2016
Warmer weather has finally arrived in Cincinnati and not far behind comes the coughing, sneezing and wheezing that usually marks the start of allergy season.
"We have had a relatively mild winter with little snowfall, but it has also been cooler well into April," says Jonathan Bernstein, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Cincinnati Division of Immunology, Allergy and Rheumatology and director of the Cincinnati Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center clinical research unit. "Normally, we start to see tree pollen come out in late March, early April. But when you start talking to people who have tree allergies, they may not start noticing symptoms until mid-April or late April into May.
"The trees pollinate until late May or early June," says Bernstein. "Again, it's relative; you can follow daily pollen counts, but pollen counts don't always correlate with clinical symptoms. There has to be exposure opportunity. Therefore people have to be outdoors and about. If people are working all day and spending 22 hours a day indoors as most Americans do because of their work and lifestyle, they won't have as many symptoms."
But as soon their time outside increases or if they keep their windows at home open and pollen counts are high, allergies could become a problem, says Bernstein, who sees patients at the Bernstein Allergy Group, Cincinnati VA Medical Center and UC Health.
Individuals suffering from tree pollen aeroallergen may experience itching of the eyes, ears, nose and throat, along with runny nose, post nasal drainage, nasal congestion, headaches and sinus pressure or pain. Approximately 70 million Americans suffer from allergic rhinitis (allergies or hay fever), with about half affected by seasonal allergies. If you suffer from allergic rhinitis you are at a three-fold increase in risk of developing asthma, says Bernstein, who notes patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis can experience chest tightness or wheezing during the pollen season.
For seasonal allergic rhinitis, residents can use nasal steroid sprays and antihistamines, which are now sold over-the-counter says Bernstein. Also, various over-the-counter eye drops with an antihistamine (ketotifen) are available.
"Even though these medications are over the counter, they should be used under a physician's supervision" says Bernstein. "If these medications are not effective then residents really should work with an allergy specialist."
Sometimes it can be difficult to tell the difference between allergies and the common cold.
"Allergies can be intermittent and episodic and so can colds," says Bernstein. "Typically, patients who have seasonal allergies have had some history of having the same symptoms annually during the same time periods. They also frequently have a family history of allergies for one or both parents and they have symptoms of a clear running nose and nasal stuffiness, sneezing attacks and itchy watery eyes that correlate with being outdoors. Symptoms typically improve when they go inside and avoid further exposure.
"Patients don't typically get recurrent colds. When someone is experiencing what they believe are recurrent colds they should be considering other underlying conditions like allergies. Recurrent intermittent or persistent symptoms is considered more chronic rather than an acute process like the common cold which is self-limiting after five to seven days," says Bernstein.
Bernstein explains some people may be affected by non-allergic rhinitis and suffer from congestion and drainage along with sneezing and itching which can mimic allergies, but this condition is triggered by weather and barometric pressure changes as well as odorants and chemical exposures rather than pollen counts. The so-called seasonal symptoms associated with non-allergic rhinitis that patients confuse with typical allergies occur with extreme temperatures or when temperatures change by 30 to 40 degrees which coincides with barometric pressure fluctuations.
For these residents, over-the-counter medications designed to treat allergic rhinitis may not be as helpful and in these circumstances seeing a physician experienced with treating different types of rhinitis is the best option, says Bernstein.
Meanwhile, allergy season can last until the fall. Individuals with tree allergies won't see much relief until late May or early June. Individuals allergic to various grasses battle symptoms from late May until mid-July and those with ragweed allergy will experience symptoms from mid-August until the first frost which usually extends into the first couple weeks of October, says Bernstein.
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