Higher temperatures, city development mean fall allergies might last through winter

While astronomers say fall starts Sept. 23 and meteorologists insist the season actually begins Sept. 1, at least one allergist says that, according to your ears, nose and throat, the season began weeks ago.

“From an allergy season perspective, (fall) is here,” said Dr. Kara Wada, a clinical assistant professor of otolaryngology at Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center.

Unlike tree and grass pollination that causes sniffles during springtime, the allergens of autumn include weed pollen and seasonal mold, which can cause runny nose, itchy, water eyes, sneezing and flare-ups for those with asthma.

Weed pollination is dependent on the amount of daylight available. So in central Ohio, Wada said, fall allergies kick in around the middle of August and will continue until the region experiences a “good, solid freeze” sometime in October.

However, over the past decade, Wada and her colleagues have seen seasonal allergies become worse and stick around for longer.

Why your fall allergies might stick around through the winter

A warmer climate and increased economic development in the Columbus area mean that allergens are multiplying and sticking around for longer, Wada said.

“We are continuing to have warm, sunny days lasting out into November and December. We can see ongoing pollen production for a longer period of time,” she said, adding that data from the Regional Air Pollution Control Agency shows the pollen season is lasting longer and longer each year.

Wada also said increased vehicle traffic and carbon dioxide emissions resulting from Columbus’ rapid development can lead to increased pollen count and, consequently, more seasonal allergies.

She cited one study by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America that stated that “ragweed pollen could be seven times higher in a city that averaged 3.6 degrees warmer and had 30% more carbon dioxide than the city’s rural surrounding area.”

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Moreover, increased development means an increase in the shrubs, grass and weeds that grow alongside highways, railroads and other human-made structures.

“Those types of plants,” Wada said, “are more problematic from an allergy standpoint.”

Why do some people have allergies and others don’t?

While the “likelihood of being an allergic human” is genetic, it is a combination of genetic and environmental factors that determines an individual's specific allergies, Wada said.

“Our bodies have the potential to make memory to things that we see in our environment, and an allergen is a particular flavor of a memory that our immune system can create,” she said.

These memories are stored in a type of antibody protein called IgE. The more IgEs a person has in their blood, the more their body will react. And because of the environmental component, inheriting the IgE protein does not guarantee that individual will have the same allergic memories.

For example, Wada said, a mother with the IgE protein could be allergic to dogs while her child who inherited that protein could be allergic to peanuts.

How to treat allergy symptoms

Wada identified three main strategies for treating allergies: minimizing exposure, medication and, lastly, immunotherapy, or injecting a patient with shots of their allergens to help train their body to overcome the allergic memory.

Wada advises against relying on sedating medications, like Benadryl, for easing allergy symptoms. Rather, she recommends longer-acting medications, like Claritin, Zyrtec and Allegra, and antihistamine nasal sprays to relieve sinus congestion.

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Nevertheless, allergy medicines will work better if the patient is proactive, she said.

“If you can keep inflammation to a dull roar, it takes a whole lot less medicine to keep things to a low simmer.”

For easy, at-home treatment, Wada recommends folks keep their windows closed to avoid autumnal pollen and use saltwater spray to flush out any pollen debris that may drift into one’s nasal cavity.

gtucker@dispatch.com

@tucker0527

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Allergy season is here for a while, says Ohio State allergist