Allergy season in full bloom

By: Angie Anaya Borgedalen

When the grass turns green, flowers bloom and trees bud, Sarah Hermanson knows it’s not only a harbinger of spring but also the season of sniffling, sneezing and coughing. It’s allergy season.

When spring approaches, Hermanson, a Kansas City North resident, said she immediately knew it was time for her weekly allergy shot to kick in and time to take Zyrtec and Allegra D, prescription drugs that help ease her allergy symptoms.

“My eyes start to water. I sneeze and feel congested,” Hermanson said. “I can tell when people mow their lawns.”

However, Hermanson said that since she started her allergy shot treatment about three years ago her symptoms had diminished.

“I take the allergy shots once a week year-round,” Hermanson said. “It’s supposed to build up your immune system, and I’ve noticed a difference.”

Although she’s also allergic to pet dander, Hermanson said when a cat jumped on the table and slapped her in the face with its tail, she didn’t sneeze and wheeze as much as she would have in the past.

“As long as I take my medicine and get my shots, I can breathe,” Hermanson said.

Dr. Jay Portnoy, chief of allergy at Children’s Mercy Hospital and president elect of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, said warmer than expected weather in March created a “pollen burst” that caused record-setting pollen counts in the Kansas City area. A cold snap in April, though, helped allergy sufferers.

“Allergy sufferers will get a brief respite,” Portnoy said. “The tree season is probably over because the cold killed off the catkins — the dangly part that produces pollens.”

But there are still many sources of allergens to contend with including mold, grass, pets, mites and ragweed in late summer and early fall.

“I don’t like cold weather, but I don’t like having allergies either,” Hermanson said.

Portnoy said about one in five people had some type of allergy, and allergies were more prevalent in children than in adults.

“Allergies affect about 40 percent of children and about 20 percent of adults,” Portnoy said. “Adults tend to outgrow allergies.”

Portnoy said if allergies were not severe, sufferers might find relief from over-the-counter remedies. For those who are miserable from the itchy, watery eyes and sneezing, he suggested consulting with an allergy specialist.

One tip Portnoy offered was to keep eye drops in the refrigerator.

“They’re more soothing if they’re cold,” he said.

Marsha Alexander, housing and design specialist for the University of Missouri Extension, said dust mites were second only to pollen for creating allergic reactions, even severe asthma attacks. Although mites are around all the time, they are most often prevalent under high humidity and heat, she said.

Liberty Editor Angie Anaya Borgedalen can be reached at 781-4941 or aborgedalen@npgco.com.