Experts Fear Tough Allergy Season After Cold Winter
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Just as winter loosens its grip, another misery takes hold.
"We go from basically nothing pollenating outside to it suddenly getting warm and the trees opening up, and patients come in with eyes swollen shut, runny nose, sneezing," says Allegheny General Hospital allergy specialist Dr. Deborah Gentile. "If they have asthma, coughing and wheezing as well."
We had a couple warm days in March -- and the pollen pattern followed predictably.
"You have one or two warm days, it's enough for the tree pollen to come out," Dr. Gentile continues. "We actually did see symptoms those days.
Right now, a tree pollen burst is on the horizon.
Isabella Porcari has allergies, but it hasn't hit her quite yet.
"It tends to be when the trees are starting to get their leaves on, and the pollen is coming out from all the plants," she says.
Once the weather stays consistently warm, the trees -- and allergies -- will fully bloom.
"The counts become explosive. You get several warm days in the 60s and 70s, the counts go very high and people will be miserable if they're allergic," says Dr. Gentile.
Now is the time to start medications ahead of the pollen blast.
"This is actually the time, if you're on a nasal steroid, to go ahead and get that started," Dr. Gentile urges.
The rain, allergy sufferers, can be a good thing. The rain rinses pollen out of the air, and keeps trees from releasing more.
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