Allergy season is getting longer because of climate change

Allergy season is starting earlier — and lasting longer — as climate change heats up cities across the U.S.

91.7 WVXU News radio recently reported a new analysis by the nonprofit Climate Central found Cincinnati’s freeze-free growing season has gotten nearly two weeks longer since 1970.

That means plants have more time to grow and release allergy-inducing pollen.

Ahmad Sedaghat, MD, PhD, professor and director of the Division of Rhinology, Allergy and Anterior Skull Base Surgery in the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, said as allergy season now extends through half of the year, he’s seeing a shift from people experiencing seasonal allergies to more perennial allergies in the Tristate.

“In the past, we'd have very discreet allergy seasons, where the trees bloom in the spring, the grass blooms in the summertime, and the weeds bloom in the fall. Now everything's blending more and more together,” said Sedaghat.

While the spring allergy season usually starts in March, more warm weather earlier in the year means people might begin experiencing symptoms in February, or even January, he said.

“Patients are impacted in terms of their ability to do work, to do their normal day-to-day activities, their energy level, their ability to get a good night's sleep, which then also trickles down to their ability to do work later on, and their quality of life,” said Sedaghat.

Seasonal allergies are treatable.

Read what Sedaghat recommends for treatment and how to cope in the Ohio River Valley.

Featured image at top: Provided.