Warmer temperatures could trigger earlier, longer spring allergy season

New study finds spring allergy seasons are getting longer

Researchers studies about 30 years of pollen data and found allergy season is almost one month longer.

ATLANTA - Researchers say the spring allergy season is already starting earlier and lasting longer, and it could stretch out even more as the temperatures rise.

Allergist Stanley Fineman with Atlanta Allergy and Asthma says he is seeing that scenario play out every day in his office.

"Just today, I saw two people who came in with itchy eyes, sneezing, congestion, runny nose," Dr. Fineman says.

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Atlanta Allergy and Asthma, Fineman's practice, has been tracking daily pollen count for years, primarily measuring tree and grass pollen that feed the spring allergy season.

"What we found was that not only does it start earlier, but it lasts longer, the season lasts longer, because pollen is released when the weather is warmer," Dr. Fineman says. "So, the pollen is released with warmer weather, drier air, and wind, which, of course, blows the pollen around.  So, those are the three factors that really contribute to the high pollen count."

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In a new study in the journal Nature Communications, University of Michigan researchers predicted the warmer temperatures will lead to even longer allergy seasons, and the high pollen count may be especially pronounced in the Southeast.

"But as an allergist in the Southeast, that's not surprising, because we already see extremely high tree pollen counts here in the Southeast," Fineman says. "We see more patients who have difficulty with tree pollens here in our metro Atlanta area than other areas of the country."

If you are struggling with spring allergies, Fineman says, see an allergist, who can help you get on a spring allergy treatment plan.

Allergy shots can help identify your triggers, and prescription or over-the-counter medications such as antihistamines may relieve your symptoms.

Dr. Fineman also recommends limiting time outdoors on high pollen count days.

"Stay inside, especially in midday, the pollen tends to get higher in the middle of the day," he says. "So, if you're going to be doing activities outdoors, do it earlier in the day or maybe later in the later afternoon or evening, when the pollen count is not quite so high."

In Atlanta, he says, you cannot completely avoid pollen.

"So, you have to have a strategy and an allergy treatment plan," Fineman says.  "The more you know about your symptoms and what triggers them, the better you are in terms of being able to deal with it."

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