Buffalo, NY (WBEN)
Dr. Stanley Schwartz of UB's Jacobs School of Medicine normally tells sufferers the current season may not necessarily be worse than previous seasons because the current one is on the sufferer's mind. It will not be the case this year. "I think it is worse than it has been. I think it's longer, the pollen count seem to be higher, and people are suffering for both a longer period of time and having more symptoms," says Schwartz. He says people may have more reactions if the pollen count grows. "I've noticed it's been rather breezy lately breezes walk those pollens around and make it worse for us. So conceivably, we're going to have the symptoms may be greater," notes Schwartz.
As tree season winds down, Schwartz says there's now a seamless transition into grass season. He says tree season normally starts in late March, but believes there was an earlier start to the season. "The first of the plants to start pollinating are their trees, and when people first go out and they see the little buds on the trees, those are probably the little flowers, and the flowers are getting off the pollen," explains Schwartz. He believes that started a week earlier than usual, and notes the weather has been warmer than usual. "I think we're having a prolongation of trees, people with tree allergies are still complaining, we're starting to see the beginning of the grass season," which Schwartz says could go until September.
We're still dealing with a pandemic, however, and Schwartz notes some may wonder if that runny nose is more than an allergy. "It's a tough thing to dissect,' says Schwartz. He notes folks who have been fully vaccinated with their boosters are often getting a form of COVID that mimics a cold and and it also can mimic allergies. He says there's one important difference. "Allergies usually are not associated with fever," says Schwartz. He notes if there is a fever, then it's either a summer cold, or it could be COVID, particularly in an individual who has been fully vaccinated and boosted. "If there are other symptoms, aches and pains or flu like symptoms, that's definitely not an allergy," adds Schwartz. He says that would be the time to take an at-home test.
He notes most seasonal allergies can be treated with over-the-counter medication.
