COLLEGE STATION Ah, spring … birds are singing, trees are leafing out, grass is growing, flowers are blooming … noses are running, eyes are watering, sneezes are echoing …
Spring is a time when pollen-related allergies really bloom, said Dr. Carol Rice, Texas Cooperative Extension health specialist.
“Each spring, summer and fall, tiny particles, known as pollen, are released from plants, trees and grasses to fertilize parts of other plants,” she said. “Some of these particles don’t make it to their destination instead, they enter the noses or throats of people, triggering a seasonal allergic rhinitis called pollen allergy.”
In general, allergies cause the body’s immune system to strongly react to certain specific substances.
“The job of your immune system cells is to fight off harmful viruses and bacteria, which cause dangerous diseases,” Rice said. “In some people’s bodies, however, the immune system cells are super-sensitive and react to harmless substances such as dust mites, mold spores, plant pollen, animal dander, insect bites, foods and medications … This overreaction of the immune system is what causes allergy symptoms.”
Figures from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology show one in every five Americans has some kind of allergic condition.
And almost 10 percent of the people in the United States suffer from some kind of pollen allergy, such as hay fever of allergic rhinitis, according to figures released by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.
Although pollen is just one of these common allergens, because it is carried by wind, it seems to be the most widespread.
Information from the NIAID also states that pollen may be the most difficult allergen to avoid: “Many of the foods, drugs or animals that cause allergies can be avoided to a great extent; even insects and household dust are escapable. Short of staying indoors when pollen count is high and even that may not help there is no easy way to evade windborne pollen.”
Some symptoms of pollen allergies mimic the common cold. Consider these: sneezing, coughing and postnasal drip, running nose or stuffy nose, itchy or watering eyes or nose and throat, and conjunctivitis (inflammation of the membrane lining the eyelids, which causes red-rimmed, swollen eyes and crusty eyelids).
Cold or allergy? One way to tell is duration of the condition, Rice said. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, colds usually last from seven to 10 days; allergy attacks can go on for weeks or months.
And some symptoms are different. For example, allergies don’t usually cause muscle aches; colds often do, Rice said. Nor do allergies usually cause a fever; colds often do.
Pollen and other airborne allergies, however, often do cause dark circles under the eyes which are caused by increased blood flow near the sinuses, she said, and children with airborne allergies often persistently rub their noses upward, causing a crease mark on the nose.
So how can a seasonal suffer find some relief? “There is no way to completely escape pollen exposure,” Rice said. But these suggestions may help in avoiding pollen:
– Stay indoors as much as possible when pollen counts are high, especially on sunny, windy days.
– When indoors, keep doors and windows closed; run the ventilation or air conditioning system.
– When you must be outdoors, wear a pollen-filtering face mask, and be sure it covers your nose and mouth.
– Talk to your health care provider about medications that might bring some relief.
– If you can, take your vacation during the peak of the pollen season; visit a place where you’ll have the least exposure to your particular allergen.
Keep the tissues at hand and remember: Pollen season will be over eventually.
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