Allergy season is back with a vengeance.
It’s a feeling that some people know too well: stuffy nose, itchy eyes and a headache. But for those who say their allergies feel worse this year, there may be a reason why.
Micaela Petrucci, 25, of Canton, said her allergies are a real annoyance this year.
“I was just outside to try to read, and I had to come in because I had to blow my nose 3 times,” she said.
Petrucci said her eyes are so heavy and itchy, it makes her job more difficult, which entails long hours of staring at computer screens.
However, Petrucci isn’t alone in terms of allergy symptoms hitting hard this year.
Dr. Kathleen Dass, an allergist, immunologist and medical director with the Michigan Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Center in Oak Park, said it’s been one of the worst allergy seasons she has ever seen.
Dass said the past winter’s mild weather and a combination of a few other factors could be to blame for this year’s bad allergy season.
“Mold, which usually goes away, did not go away this past winter,” she said. “Then the tree season seemed to start a little bit earlier.”
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Dass said the amount of tree pollen in the air “truly has set new records.”
“I have patients in the last two weeks, who have not had symptoms for decades, and they’ve had either asthma attacks, really severe allergy symptoms or even skin rashes because of this weather fluctuation,” Dass said. “So I think it’s a combination of peak pollen, meeting a milder winter with increased mold.”
Dass She said indoor allergens play a role this season as well.
“Because we have been indoors for the last year, we’ve had more dust mite exposure than we’re normally accustomed to,” Dass said. “Normally, we leave our home, we go to work and we come back. So people have also developed more symptoms just from being indoors from the increased dust mite exposure in the last year.”
Is it COVID-19 or allergies?
Unfortunately, allergy season is happening during the COVID-19 pandemic, and things can get nerve-wracking when it comes to differentiating the two.
Dass said watery eyes and a runny or stuffy nose are symptoms more often associated with allergies.
“It’s pretty rare with COVID-19 to have like a runny nose or stuffy nose or even a sore throat,” Dass said. “So I would say, if those are symptoms you’re experiencing that is going to be more allergy than COVID.”
However, things can get a little more confusing when it comes to the loss of smell.
“A loss of smell is definitely more likely to be with COVID-19,” Dass said. “But I would say if you have a baseline loss of smell, because of either allergies or chronic sinus disease, then you wouldn’t be able to distinguish if it’s suddenly worse because you have COVID. So that is a symptom that can happen for both.”
She also said allergies shouldn’t cause fevers, chills or body aches. Symptoms like diarrhea, loss of appetite or night sweats are more associated with COVID-19.
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Precautions people are taking to prevent the spread of the coronavirus might actually help decrease allergen exposure. For example, wearing a mask acts as a physical barrier from pollen, so an individual isn’t breathing it in as much, Dass said.
If you’re the type of person who enjoys taking walks, Dass recommends changing any clothes you wore outside and showering before going to bed. This will help keep your bed pollen-free.
She also said keeping your windows closed when pollen is most prevalent during the early morning and evening will help with allergies. If you need to air out your home, Dass said do it in the middle of the day.
What can I do to alleviate some of the symptoms?
Sinus rinses like neti pots can help wash out mucus, especially when people use hypertonic saline, Dass said.
“Boogers follow the salt. The more concentrated the salt, the more likely it is to help clear out the mucus,” she said.
Antihistamines like Claritin, Zyrtec and Allegra can help bad symptoms, Dass said. It’s better to use long-acting antihistamines rather than short-acting ones.
But Dass said she always stresses to her patients that antihistamines don’t provide preventative effects. Intranasal steroids like Nasacort, Flonase and Rhinocort offer more prevention when it comes to allergies.
“If you wanted more long-term relief definitely see an allergist,” Dass said. “You want to make sure it’s only seasonal allergies, and not something like chronic sinus disease, which is basically when you have sinus inflammation that’s there despite maximum treatment.”
There are also allergy shots and other therapies administered under the tongue that can provide long-term relief from allergies, Dass said.
“If you also have either comorbid asthma or eczema or allergic skin issues like hives, then there are actually special injections that help that,” Dass said. “And the bonus is that your allergies will also get better.”
Contact Slone Terranella: STerranella@freepress.com and follow her on Twitter @SloneTerranella.
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