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It's that time of the year again when people start to come out of hibernation, rejuvenated by longer days and warmer temperatures. But along with the return of spring comes the return of seasonal allergies.
An estimated 40 to 60 million Americans suffer from some form of allergies, according to Dr. Nathaniel Hare, Allergy and Immunology physician for UPMC.
"It gets broken down into two components," Hare explained. "Some people only have seasonal, some people only have year round or perennial, and some people get both."
"For year round sufferers, typical triggers include animal danders, dust mites or insect particles. If it's seasonal, it's gonna be pollens, molds or both."
Allergy season spreads from south to north, much in the way fall foliage does.
"Here in Williamsport, pollen shows up around March. 20, although this year it's been maybe two weeks early," Hare said.
"Typically, tree pollen runs from mid-March until the end of May, then grass pollen hits hard at the end of May through July, and weed pollen tends to be highest throughout July, August, and September."
"If there's no snow cover, there's low level mold in the winter, but it really takes off and goes spring, summer and fall, before really spiking during harvest season."
Hare says that pollen counts are up slightly this year in the area, but that there is often a lag-time before patients begin seeking treatment because many believe that with colder weather sticking around, their symptoms are indicative of a winter illness.
With so many overlapping symptoms, Hare says there are a few ways to help distinguish between colds, flu, COVID-19, and allergies.
"You don't get a fever with allergies, that's a pretty clear cut one."
"I tend to think of more like itchy symptoms, if you have watery eyes, itchy nose, if there's a lot of sneezing going on, it's a little more likely to be allergy-related, especially if your eyes are involved," Hare explained.
"Also, with spring allergies, if you go outside and you're a lot worse but you go inside and you're better, that's not gonna happen with a cold."
Allergens may also trigger allergic asthma, Hare cautioned.
And, while Hare said there is no cure for allergy attacks, many options exist to help manage symptoms.
"I've had people that have tested positive for particular tree pollen and they asked me, 'I've got that tree in my yard, should I cut it down?' No, this time of year, pollen travels 50 to 100 miles, so your area's already covered."
"Pollen counts may be a little higher in the mornings, so try going outside later, and it might be better to go outside after rain because that temporarily washes it out of the air," Hare advised.
"If you have a window unit or just have your windows open, obviously the pollen is going to come in. The filters on window units aren't good enough to filter out the pollen, so you have to be aware of that. Other than that, it's just staying on top of your medication regimen."
As far as medications go, Hare suggests that steroid nasal sprays, including Nasonex, Rhinocort, Flonase and Nasacort are among the best options.
"Generally speaking, most allergy meds drop symptoms an average of 25 to 30%."
One of the biggest issues Hare sees in people properly treating their symptoms is inconsistency or waiting until symptoms are already bad to begin treatment.
"You have to use nose sprays every day for a week or two to kick in, so I generally give people two weeks on something before they decide to try something else."
Hare also cautioned against picking just any eye drop from the pharmacy to treat itchy eyes.
"Pataday extra strength pattern is really the best option. Other over-the- counter drops like Visine often have anti-redness ingredients that constrict blood vessels in your eyes and that can lead to rebound issues."
Anyone can suffer from allergies, and they can appear even in later years.
"You can still have allergy issues as you get older," Hare explained. "It's also common that if you start with allergies, and as you age, the pendulum often swings from an allergic cause to an irritant cause, but you keep the same symptoms."
For those looking for longer-lasting treatments, Hare explained that allergy shots are an exceptional option.
"Allergy shots are a form of desensitization," Hare said. "You're basically trying to retrain the immune system to ignore or pay less attention to the pollen or whatever else it's reacting to, and are often covered by insurance."
Children as young as four can begin receiving allergy shots if symptoms are enough of a bother.
"They work for about 80% of people, and depending on what you're treating, they average a 50 to 70% drop in symptoms after three to five years, and typically take about six to 12 months to start working," Hare said.
"And, studies have shown it's more cost effective to do shots than to do medicine. And some studies have found that depending on what you're treating, allergy shots for some kids actually decreased the chances of getting either more environmental allergies as you get older, or developing permanent asthma. So there's other reasons to think about it."