Watery eyes? Sneezing? Runny
nose?
Time to take action against seasonal allergies!
By Jill
Stoops APN/CNP: UIS Campus Health Service Nurse Practitioner
About 26 million Americans
endure chronic seasonal allergies. The number of people with
milder symptoms may be as high as 40 million, according to the
National Center for Health Statistics. The annual cost of “hay
fever”, as it is commonly called, can reach $2.4 billion for
medications and another $1.1 billion in medical office visit
costs.
An allergy is the
body’s reaction to natural substances in the environment. Your
body produces histamine after being exposed to an allergen,
which then causes the allergy symptoms. Symptoms closely mimic
those of the common cold and range from mild itching, sneezing
and watery eyes, to severe hives, wheezing and shortness of
breath. An extreme allergic reaction can lead to death from
anaphylactic shock, where the person’s airway swells shut and
blood pressure decreases. One difference between a cold and
allergy symptoms is the length of time the person has symptoms.
A cold typically lasts 7-14 days where allergies can last
several weeks to months.
People are born with a genetic
predisposition to allergies that can be “turned on” at any time
in life. Some people do not notice any problems until they move
to another location that may have an allergen they are sensitive
to. You can also “grow into” them! Seasonal allergies are just
that, they come and go through the different seasons of the
year. Some people have year round allergies to irritants that
are always around such as dust, mold, animal dander, and dust
mites.
Treatment starts with
prevention. Try to decrease your exposure to your known
allergen. If it is dust, clean often; dog dander, limit or
eliminate your exposure to dogs; tree pollen, use air filters
and stay in air conditioning to help decrease the amount of
allergen you are exposed to. You can also use a dehumidifier in
the basement for mold allergies. Install wood or tile flooring
instead of carpet that tends to hold in allergens. Minimize
clutter that can collect dust. And people who have allergies to
dust mites find covering their mattresses and pillows with
covers help provide a barrier between you and the dust mites in
your bed where they live and breed.
The next step in treating your
allergy symptoms would be medication. Over the counter (OTC)
antihistamines are widely used. Antihistamines block the
histamine that is released by the body when it is exposed to an
allergen. The most common antihistamine is Benadryl. This can
cause sedation in many people. The most recent “non-sedating”
OTC medication for allergy treatment is Claritin. The others
commonly used via prescriptions are: Zyrtec, Allegra, and
Clarinex. If you have glaucoma, difficulty urinating or high
blood pressure, check with your primary care provider before
taking medication. Note that it takes a long time for the
antihistamines to work and immediate relief will not occur.
Continue to take the medication daily to get the relief you
need.
Steroid nasal sprays are also
used to help alleviate allergy symptoms. The most common are
Flonase, Nasacort, and Astelin. Many people are tempted to
treat their symptoms with OTC nasal decongestants, but these
should not be used for more than 3-4 days to avoid the “rebound”
effect that causes the nasal passages to become even more
congested than what they started out to be. These should only
be used short term for nasal congestion associated with a cold,
not allergies.
For an evaluation of your
symptoms to see if you have the common cold or seasonal
allergies, contact the UIS Campus Health Service for an
appointment at 206-6676.
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