Nothing to sneeze about
Beginning of spring means start of allergy season, and for many the fallout is getting worse
She has been struggling with allergies her entire life.
“I would have to keep tissue with me all the time,” says Prince, 35, of Westland, Mich. “When it starts, you don’t want to do anything. You just want to lie around.”
For several years, Prince has noticed that her allergies are showing up earlier in the spring and lasting longer in the fall, a phenomenon that has been observed across the northern United States.
A recent study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that there’s been an increase in the length of the ragweed allergy season since 1995, and ties the change to global warming.
“It’s hard to predict the upcoming allergy season,” says Dr. Milind Pansare, a pediatric immunologist at Children’s Hospital of Michigan. “But it’s always the same old, same old.
“As soon as it starts to warm up, the trees have rapid growth. They will have to pollinate quickly. As soon as the weather conditions become appropriate, they will do what they always do.”
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America says that allergy prevalence overall has been growing across all age, sex and racial groups since the early 1980s.
“We don’t know exactly why that is,” says Dr. Rana Misiak, a senior staff physician in allergy and immunology for the Henry Ford Health System.
“There are a lot of theories, especially due to food allergies. Certainly, for the seasonal allergies, that does appear to be on the rise as well.”
In all, as many as 50 million Americans suffer from allergies, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation.
Cedarian Stuart-Payne, 12, of Warren, Mich., recently discovered that he has spring allergies. In addition, he has struggled with asthma and eczema.
“It’s been frustrating to him because he’s been miserable,” says his mother, Calandra Stuart. “He doesn’t sleep at night.”
Some people with allergies can be treated with over-the-counter medications such as antihistamines and decongestants, taken as pills, liquid, nasal spray or eye drops.
Doctors can also prescribe other allergy medications or offer allergy shots, where a patient is injected with small doses of the substance that they are allergic to in an effort to reduce the reaction to allergens over time.
Calandra Stuart said Cedarian has started taking prescription allergy medications.
“He looks better,” she says. “He’s doing OK.”
Having an allergy increases your risk of other medical problems, including asthma, eczema, sinusitis, infections of the ears or lungs, another allergy, fungal complications in the sinuses or lungs and anaphylaxis, which is a life-threatening allergic reaction.
For Prince, congestion from allergies led to ear troubles.
“According to my ear, nose and throat doctor,” she says, “I was getting ear infections because of my allergies.”
At one point last year, an ear infection caused temporary hearing loss and Prince missed two months of work. She started with allergy shots and has seen improvement.
“I can’t believe I suffered all this time without the shots,” she says.
“My life has changed dramatically from the shots. I’m able to go out around the things I’m allergic to and not have to suffer as much.
“I feel much better, way better. It’s amazing. I’m in a good place. I’m really happy. My allergies are way better than before.”
Misiak urges people who suffer from allergies to see a doctor who specializes in treating them.
“That will allow an individual to find out exactly what they are allergic to and to come up with a treatment plan to help control their allergy symptoms,” she says. “There can be a lot of different management options.”
Misiak says one of the most rewarding things about her job is “when someone is able to start feeling better, breathing better, able to do all the activities they enjoy without being limited by the symptoms they were experiencing.”