The groundhog may have seen his shadow, but Spring will be here soon. While many of us look forward to warmer days and blooming flowers, those who suffer from seasonal allergies know that the return of grass, budding trees, and blooming flowers can lead to more sneezing than smiles. Welcome to the Spring allergy season.
If your seasonal allergies seem to be getting worse each year, it is not in your head. A Study from the National Academy of Sciences in 2021 found that over the last 30 years the North American pollen allergy season has increased by approximately 20 days. Pollen concentrations have also risen 21%. The Spring tree pollen season has been starting earlier and the Fall ragweed season has been ending later.
Seasonal allergies can develop at any time in one’s life. The most common risk factor for developing seasonal allergies is family history. If have family members with allergies, you have an increased risk of developing them as well. Seasonal allergies are the sign of an overactive immune system that has mistakenly identified harmless substances, like pollen, as dangerous threats to the body. This triggers an inappropriate defense response that leads to the common symptoms of allergies like runny nose, congestion, watery eyes, itching, and sneezing. The immune system is trying to fight pollen like it would fight a cold. This is why it can be difficult to differentiate between allergies and illness.
There are a few ways to help decrease the risk of children developing allergies. Several studies have shown that children who visit a farm in their first year of their life or have furry pets have a lower risk of allergies. In that first year of life, the immune system is busy trying to figure out what things the body needs to defend against and what things are safe to ignore. The environment on the farm has so different allergens, that it allows the immune system to become tolerant of the harmless pollen and animal dander. However, once someone has allergies, and the immune system is sensitive to these substances, further exposure to allergens that are on a farm will not help. It will just make the allergy sufferer more miserable.
The first line over-the-counter treatment for seasonal allergies is intranasal corticosteroids such as Fluticasone (Flonase), Mometasone (Nasonex), and Budesoninde (Rhinocort). These nasal sprays have been shown to be more effective than over-the-counter oral antihistamines such as Loratidine (Claritin), Fexofenadine (Allegra), and Cetirizine (Zyrtec). If the spray does not give adequate control, then adding an oral antihistamine can help.
If these medications are not effective, then seeing an Allergist is the next step to enjoying everything that comes with April showers and May flowers. The groundhog says we have six more weeks to prepare for Spring. Regardless of when it comes, everyone can enjoy Spring if they understand seasonal allergies and how to treat them.
Dr. Jill Kruse is a hospitalist at the Brookings Health System in Brookings, SD. She serves as one of the Prairie Doc Volunteer Hosts during its 24th Season providing Health Education Based on Science, Built on Trust. Follow The Prairie Doc® at www.prairiedoc.org, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Tik Tok. Prairie Doc Programming includes On Call with the Prairie Doc®, a medical Q&A show (most Thursdays at 7pm on YouTube and streaming on Facebook), 2 podcasts, and a Radio program (on SDPB, Sundays at 6am and 1pm).
