Around one in four American adults and one in five kids has a seasonal allergy.
And allergy experts are predicting this season and others ahead will be longer and more severe than ones before.
“This is due to climate change, which is causing warmer temperatures as well as increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere,” said Mariel Benjamin, M.D., an allergist at Michigan Medicine, the University of Michigan’s academic medical center.
How seasonal allergies can impact your everyday
Symptoms typically present with a stuffy or runny nose, sneezing, itchy or red eyes, in the spring, summer or fall, when the pollen levels tend to be highest, causing significant effects on your day-to-day life.
And in some cases, they can even cause medical emergencies if left untreated.
“For example, if you have allergic asthma, you may experience shortness of breath, wheezing or coughing, resulting in a trip to the emergency room or to urgent care for treatment,” said Benjamin.
Worsening allergy seasons ahead
With a colder winter, Benjamin says they typically would see milder allergy symptoms, but they’re actually seeing the opposite.
“What we’re actually seeing is that this allergy season has been just as severe, if not more severe, than previous years, so we would still recommend being prepared and having all your medications on hand to treat your symptoms.”
A study in 2019 showed that pollen seasons are starting about 20 days earlier and lasting about 10 days longer.
“Additional studies found that, due to the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, plants are producing a greater quantity of stronger pollen, causing worse symptoms,” explained Benjamin.
How to treat seasonal allergies
There are several over-the-counter medications that are available to treat seasonal allergies that can be very helpful in managing symptoms, notes Benjamin.
“First of all, there are nasal saline sprays or nasal saline rinses that can help rinse the mucus and allergens out of the nose. Secondly, there are intranasal corticosteroid sprays, which can help reduce inflammation, congestion and prevent allergic symptoms.”
There’s also intranasal antihistamine sprays and non-drowsy oral antihistamines, which help more with the sneezing, runny nose and itching symptoms that you might get.
And if red or itchy eye are bothering you, allergy eye drops can help.
Benjamin says if the pollen counts are high and your symptoms are bad, try staying indoors, shutting the windows (before the season starts is a plus) and using the air conditioning in your home.
But if all these methods fail to resolve your issues, Benjamin says it’s time to see an expert.
“If these are not effective, then I would recommend that you talk to your doctor, potentially get a referral to an allergist, and think about other treatment options, such as allergy immunotherapy.”
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Written by Noah Fromson, Johanna Younghans Bake.
