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Is spring allergy season off to an earlier start?
Updated: 9:51 PM EDT Mar 13, 2024
SEASON. I’M EXPECTING THAT HERE IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS AS THE POLLEN COUNTS GO UP, WE’RE GOING TO START HEARING FROM PATIENTS ABOUT THEIR SPRINGTIME ALLERGY SYMPTOMS. IN THE LAST WEEK, TREE POLLEN LEVELS HAVE JUMPED INTO THE MODERATE LEVELS FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS SEASON IN YOUR ALLERGY, SYMPTOMS MAY HAVE ALREADY PRESENTED THEMSELVES OR AREN’T TOO FAR OFF. THE DURATION AND INTENSITY OF THE ALLERGY SEASON HAS A STRONG TIE TO THE TEMPERATURES OF THE PREVIOUS WINTER AND THE ARRIVAL OF WARMER AIR. IT DOES VARY, UH, YEAR TO YEAR, BUT, UH, A LOT OF THINGS DEPEND ON ON, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW WARM IT HAS BEEN IN THE EARLY SPRING. UH, IF YOU’RE GETTING THAT EARLY, UH, BUDS TO THE TREES AND WHATNOT, UH, DEPENDING A LOT ON THE WEATHER. PITTSBURGH IS COMING OFF OF ITS FOURTH WARMEST WINTER. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 38.4 DEGREES, A GOOD SEVEN DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. ALSO, THE LEAVES AND EARLY BUDS ARE POPPING ABOUT 20 DAYS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE FOR PARTS OF SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. SO IS THIS ALLERGY SEASON OFF TO AN EARLIER START THAN NORMAL? I THINK WE’VE HAD A LOT MORE MODERATE WINTERS OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, AND THAT DEFINITELY CONTRIBUTES TO AN EARLIER START TO THE POLLEN SEASON. AND IT’S NOT JUST THE ONSET THAT IS INFLUENCED BY THESE WARMER TEMPERATURES, BUT ALSO THE INTENSITY OF THE POLLEN, THE POLLEN COUNTS. WE DO SEE SEEM TO BE SEEING INCREASED POLLEN COUNTS, UH, ALMOST EVERY YEAR. SO THE COUNTS JUST KEEP GOING UP AND UP. AND WHETHER THAT’S DUE TO A LITTLE BIT LONGER POLLEN SEASON AS WELL, BECAUSE THE THE TEMPERATURE IS WARMER FOR A LITTLE BIT LONGER IN THE SPRINGTIME, TREE POLLEN MOST COMMONLY USED TO THE CLASSIC ALLERGY SYMPTOMS OF ITCHY, WATERY EYES AND RUNNY NOSES. DOCTOR TRAISTER FROM ALLEGHENY HEALTH NETWORK RECOMMENDS TO HELP MINIMIZE YOUR SYMPTOMS. START TAKING YOUR OVER-THE-COUNTER MEDICINE NOW. CHECK POLLEN COUNTS IF YOU HAVE OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES PLANNED AND EVEN WEAR A MASK WHEN HEADING OUT FOR A LONG WALK. IT REALLY IS THAT BALANCE. IF YOU IF YOU CAN TREAT YOUR SYMPTOMS WITH ALLERGY MEDICINES AND YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE. I MEAN, I THINK THAT’S A REASONABLE APPROACH. BUT IF YOU’RE MISERABLE, THAT’S WHY I’M HERE. WE CAN TALK ABOUT OTHER OPTIONS. AND IF YOU ARE STARTING TO NOTICE THAT YOUR ALLERGY SYMPTOMS ARE BECOMING MORE SEVERE, YOU MAY WANT TO CONSIDER NOT ONLY STOCKING UP ON YOUR ALLERGY MEDS, BUT LOOKING INTO ALLERGY TESTING OR EVEN ALLERGY SHOTS. AND THAT’S SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN DISCUSS WITH YOUR LOCAL
Is spring allergy season off to an earlier start?
Updated: 9:51 PM EDT Mar 13, 2024
The trees are budding, the daffodils are blooming. Spring seems to have arrived in western Pennsylvania! At the same time, you may be reaching for the tissues and noticing that your spring allergy symptoms are popping up.Dr. Russell Traister, an allergist with Allegheny Health Network, hasn’t noticed an uptick in patient visits just yet. But he says, “In the next few weeks, as pollen levels go up, we’re going to start hearing from patients about their springtime allergy symptoms.”Just over the last week, tree pollen levels jumped into moderate levels for the first time this season. The duration and intensity of the allergy season has a strong tie to the temperatures of the previous winter and the arrival of warmer air. Pittsburgh is coming off its fourth warmest winter. The average temperature was 38.4 degrees, a good seven degrees above normal. Also, leaves and early buds are popping about 20 days ahead of schedule for parts of southwestern Pennsylvania. So, is this allergy season off to an early start? Dr. Traister says the more moderate winters over the last several years has contributed to an earlier start to the pollen season. There is also a link to the intensity of the pollen or the pollen counts.”We do seem to see an increase in pollen counts almost every year. So the counts just keep going up and up, whether that’s due to a little bit of a longer pollen season as well as because the temperature is warmer for a little bit longer,” says Traister.What can be done to alleviate your allergy symptoms? Traister recommends starting your over-the-counter allergy medicines, check pollen levels when you have outdoor plans, and even wearing a mask when going on a long walk, which has been shown to minimize the amount of pollen that reaches your nasal passages. If your symptoms are severe, Traister said your allergist may recommend allergy testing or allergy shots.
The trees are budding, the daffodils are blooming. Spring seems to have arrived in western Pennsylvania! At the same time, you may be reaching for the tissues and noticing that your spring allergy symptoms are popping up.
Dr. Russell Traister, an allergist with Allegheny Health Network, hasn’t noticed an uptick in patient visits just yet. But he says, “In the next few weeks, as pollen levels go up, we’re going to start hearing from patients about their springtime allergy symptoms.”
Just over the last week, tree pollen levels jumped into moderate levels for the first time this season. The duration and intensity of the allergy season has a strong tie to the temperatures of the previous winter and the arrival of warmer air. Pittsburgh is coming off its fourth warmest winter. The average temperature was 38.4 degrees, a good seven degrees above normal. Also, leaves and early buds are popping about 20 days ahead of schedule for parts of southwestern Pennsylvania.
So, is this allergy season off to an early start? Dr. Traister says the more moderate winters over the last several years has contributed to an earlier start to the pollen season. There is also a link to the intensity of the pollen or the pollen counts.
“We do seem to see an increase in pollen counts almost every year. So the counts just keep going up and up. Whether that’s due to a little bit of a longer pollen season as well because the temperature is warmer for a little bit longer,” says Traister.
What can be done to alleviate your allergy symptoms? Traister recommends starting your over-the-counter allergy medicines, check pollen levels when you have outdoor plans, and even wearing a mask when going on a long walk, it has been shown to minimize the amount of pollen to reaches your nasal passages. If your symptoms are severe, Traister said your allergist may recommend allergy testing or allergy shots.
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