Spring brings seasonal allergies, doctors suggest limiting time spent outdoors

Spring means warmer temperatures and blooming flowers, but it can also mean runny noses and itchy eyes for seasonal allergy sufferers.

Dr. Jeffery L. Shaw, allergist for University Family Allergy, said seasonal allergies are a response to substances in the environment.

"It's a response to various proteins found in the environment such as pollen, animal dander and molds," Shaw said. "It usually affects any part of the respiratory tract from the nose down to the lungs."

An estimated 35 million Americans suffer from allergies to pollen and mold, and more than 12 million doctors visits result from allergic rhinitis, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Web site.

"If it affects the nose, we call it allergic rhinitis," Shaw said. "If it affects the lungs, we call it allergic asthma or the eyes it is allergic conjunctivitis."

Shaw said there are certain symptoms a person with seasonal allergies can have.

"Seasonal allergies typically cause eyes to be itchy, watery and red," Shaw said. "You can also have sneezing, nasal drainage, itchy nose and post-nasal drainage. If you have allergic asthma, there can be a cough, wheeze or shortness of breath that occurs seasonally."

Shaw said one way to reduce symptoms is to minimize exposure to allergens.

"The hardest part with seasonal allergies is that it would mean shutting ourselves indoors, which is not usually an option for people," Shaw said.

Shaw said another way to reduce exposure to allergens is to avoid going outdoors at certain times of the day.

"We can limit our outdoor exposure to times other than 5 a.m. to 10 a.m., when pollen counts are the highest," Shaw said. "After being outdoors, use nasal saline rinses to remove pollen from our nasal passages."

According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Web site, allergy symptoms are less prominent on rainy, cloudy or windless day, because the pollen doesn't move around as much in hot, dry weather.

Shaw said there are treatments for seasonal allergies.

"Allergies are typically treated with medications including antihistamines, which can be available over the counter or by prescription," Shaw said. "Nasal sprays and other medications that are typically prescription attack the allergies in a different way."

Andrea Poling can be contacted at poling26@marshall.edu.