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| Whitney A. Dunlap, MD, assistant professor of medicine and an allergy specialist at UMass Memorial Medical Center |
With spring allergy season in full swing, allergy specialists at UMass Medical School say the combination of a wet winter and a late spring brings significant allergy symptoms.
As many of the trees pollinate simultaneously after a long winter with record snowfalls, patients with tree pollen allergies are experiencing significant nasal, eye and respiratory symptoms, according to Whitney A. Dunlap, MD, assistant professor of medicine and an allergy specialist at UMass Memorial Medical Center.
Added to the pollen mix is an increase in mold spores because of the wet winter and late spring.
Recent research indicates that pollen is becoming more immunogenic, or stimulating to the immune system, Dr. Dunlap said.
“A lot of people attribute this to climate change factors, but we do think that pollen counts generally have been increasing and have been more stimulating,” Dunlap said. “That fact in and of itself has been contributing to the incremental increase in environmental allergies.”
For those who suffer from specific seasonal allergies—including ragweed in the fall and a type of grass pollen in the summer—there are some new FDA-approved treatments in the form of sublingual tablets, she said. The tablets are still being studied, and while they are not as effective as allergy injections, for many patients they do provide relief, she said.
Is it a cold or is it allergies?
According to Dunlap, the symptoms of a cold and allergies are similar—congestion; clear, running nose; and sneezing—but allergies usually include itchy nose and itchy, watery eyes along with an itchy throat. Also, a cold lasts two weeks or less; anything longer could indicate allergies. In addition, the predilection to be allergic runs in families, but it does not necessarily indicate what a person is allergic to.
