Medications can bring relief as seasonal allergies begin

Spring is here — and if you’re among the estimated

1 in 4 U.S. adults who suffer from seasonal allergies, your sneezing and scratching may have started.

With climate change affecting temperatures and plant growth, you may need to be on the lookout earlier than ever. It can be hard to distinguish allergy symptoms from those of a cold, but experts point to a few telltale signs.

Spring allergy seasons are beginning about 20 days earlier than they had, according to an analysis of pollen count data from 60 stations across North America from 1990 to 2018.

That shift can have significant health consequences, said William Anderegg, who is an author of the study and an associate professor of biology at the University of Utah. Other research has shown the very early onset of spring is associated with higher prevalence of allergic rhinitis, also known as hay fever. When people end up sick or in the hospital from uncontrolled allergy symptoms, he said, “it’s because they didn’t expect it and didn’t have medications in hand.”

Many people with nasal congestion or a runny nose may assume they have a cold. Though allergy and cold symptoms can be similar, allergies often make the eyes, nose, throat, mouth or ears itchy, said Rita Kachru, chief of clinical allergy and immunology at UCLA Health. Patients also often experience congestion and postnasal drip. Some may develop coughing and shortness of breath. A viral infection, by contrast, might bring muscle fatigue, joint aches or fever.

Over-the-counter medications fall into two main categories: antihistamines and steroids. Antihistamines are available as nasal sprays, eye drops and oral pills, including loratadine (Claritin), cetirizine (Zyrtec) and fexofenadine (Allegra). Steroids come as nasal sprays, including fluticasone (Flonase), budesonide (Benacort) and triamcinolone (Nasacort).