Warm winter ramps up allergy season
An early onslaught: ‘I don’t feel like I ever got a break’
For Michelle Primack of Alexandria, Va., the change this year has been obvious. Allergic to trees, grass, pollens and mold, Primack says she has dealt with a constant postnasal drip and frequent sinus headaches since mid-february, six weeks earlier than in past years.
“Some mornings I would wake up and feel like I was sick, but I realized my head is just swollen rather than stuffed up,” says Primack, 40, a policy adviser with the U.S. Department of Energy.
“It never really got cold enough to freeze the ground. I don’t feel like I ever got a break.”
A broad area “from Texas through the Midwest, South and East has had a much warmer winter than usual,” says Kraig Jacobson of Eugene, Ore., an allergist and a committee chairman of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, which oversees a network of pollen-counting stations across the USA.
With trees blooming earlier and more pollen in the air, allergy sufferers are feeling earlier symptoms: nasal congestion, sneezing and eye itching and watering, says Atlanta allergist Stanley Fineman, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
“They have the reaction, then get re-exposed to it, and their body is primed, or ramped up, and they get an even more severe reaction to the pollen than usual.” Is it really an allergy?
Over-the-counter antihistamines and eye drops can bring relief, but both Jacobson and Fineman recommend seeing an allergy doctor to determine the exact cause of the problem. “First, we have to make sure it’s an allergy, and testing can uncover that,” Fineman says.
Only about 30% of adults have real allergies, Jacobson says. “One of the biggest myths I hear is that ‘everybody’ has allergies. At least as many people have other forms of rhinitis (inflamed nasal membranes) that are exacerbated by the pollen in the air or an irritant basis.” People who have allergy antibodies in reaction to pollen, or an odor or fume at a low level, have true allergies, but “even people who are non-allergic can have symptoms when pollen levels get very high.”
Once it is known exactly what sets you off, the allergist can pre- scribe nasal sprays and other remedies as well as recommend overthe-counter antihistamines, nasal sprays, eye drops or a nasal rinse system, such as a neti pot, that rinses the inside of the nose with water, sometimes mixed with salt.
“People come in with runny noses, congestion, sneezing and frequently have tearing or itchy eyes,” Fineman says. “It can be very debilitating. People’s ability to function can be affected.”
If those treatments don’t help, the next step is immunotherapy. These are frequent injections that help patients build up a tolerance to their specific allergens and can help lessen the symptoms. The regimen can last up to five years.
Primack had injections every two weeks for five years. She says they were effective but required a 30minute wait in the doctor’s office to ensure she didn’t have rare but severe reactions such as anaphylaxis, which can cause throat swelling, nausea and dizziness. Too time-consuming
She stopped the shots soon after her son, now 3, was born. Between the commute to her former allergist’s office and the wait time, Primack says, it just wasn’t feasible.
But her allergies remain fierce. She takes over-the-counter Zyrtec year-round, and at night she takes Benadryl, which makes her drowsy. But these aren’t enough this season. “I need to get a new local allergist” and begin shots again, she says.
Jackeline Stewart of Washington, D.C., co-founder of the style website lookacute.com, has dealt with an extremely runny nose and itchy and watery eyes since February. “Pollen, ragweed, the whole nine. It’s kind of embarrassing. You want to be in a professional setting, and I have to excuse myself to bathrooms to fix myself up.”
Stewart, 27, takes a daily antihistamine plus a prescription nasal spray. Her allergies have progressed to asthma, so she also uses two inhalers daily. Though shots have been recommended, “I’m not a fan of needles,” she says.
As many as half of those with significant allergies may also have asthma, though a high-pollen season may be the only time of year the asthma acts up, Jacobson says.
“My doctor told me to move, but how realistic is that?” Stewart says. “This is where I live, and I don’t want to leave.” But “I would like to be able to enjoy going out for a walk or sit in the park for lunch without worrying about sneezing or coughing or having an asthma attack.”