Spring allergy will manifest itself in different ways, depending on the parts of the body affected (eyes, nose, bronchial tubes or skin). Even the same patient may have different symptoms from one year to another.
The most common symptoms in the eyes are
- Itching
- Tearing
- Red eye
- Eyelid swelling
- Increased sensitivity to light
- Gritty sensation.
On the other hand, when it affects the nose it presents in the form of:
- Very frequent sneezing
- Clear, runny mucus
- Itchy nose
- Nasal obstruction
- Loss of smell.
In some cases the symptoms are aggravated when they affect the bronchial tubes, causing:
- Cough.
- Sensation of lack of air
- Tightness in the chest
- Wheezing due to narrowing of the bronchi.
In addition some people may have skin reactions in the form of:
- Hives
- Itching of the skin.
What lifestyle habits should we follow to prevent symptoms?
- Check pollen levels through mobile applications endorsed by the Spanish Society of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (SEAIC) or on the web www.polenes.com.
- Avoid trips to the countryside and outdoor activities on days of high pollination, as well as mowing the lawn or pruning trees.
- Close the windows of the house. Ventilate the house in the early hours of the day or at night and for a short time, since the hours of highest incidence of pollens are usually between 10 am and 4 pm.
- Outdoors, wear sunglasses and a mask covering the nose and mouth on days of high pollination.
- Take a shower and change clothes when you get home, because we can carry pollens on our clothes or hair.
- Do not hang clothes outside on windy days because they will collect pollens.
- Travel with car vents up and use pollen filters in vehicles.
- Air purifiers manage to filter out most small environmental particles, so they can provide adequate environmental control for allergy sufferers in enclosed spaces. Clean air is vital for good health.
- Do not self-medicate. Consult your physician if you have allergic symptoms.
- Make an appointment with your allergist for a comprehensive treatment focused on treating the cause of your allergy.
Which drugs should be taken to combat allergy?
The treatment to follow depends on the location of the symptoms. For the eyes, the most effective are eye drops and, in the case of the nose, antihistamines by mouth or through the nose. In addition, it will be complemented with nasal sprays with corticoids that will reduce nasal obstruction.
In the most severe cases affecting the bronchi, it is advisable to use bronchodilators that will dilate the bronchus or inhalers containing corticoids that reduce inflammation.
Vaccines or immunotherapy administered by mouth or injected in the back of the arm are also used, which will reduce the symptoms and reduce the consumption of medication, allowing the tolerance of higher levels of pollens. This would be the only treatment that could reverse the allergic diseases, making them disappear, since the rest of the options only alleviate the symptoms.
Are there any novel treatments to treat spring allergies?
There have been remarkable advances in the treatment of allergic diseases due to pollens in recent years, thanks to the molecular diagnosis of allergens, based on the proteins found inside pollens. This has improved the efficacy of immunotherapy by being more selective, targeting the most important pollen proteins rather than all pollen.
In addition, vaccines are becoming more convenient in that they are given at longer intervals and with lower incidence of adverse effects and greater efficacy.
Antihistamines have been improved, decreasing adverse effects such as drowsiness and increased appetite. Likewise, new drugs are being used in patients with severe asthma, which reduce flare-ups and emergency admissions, referred to as “biologics”, which act on the main cells involved in allergic reactions.
In addition to the new therapeutic possibilities, the future in allergic diseases caused by pollens lies in reducing environmental pollution and mitigating the effects of climate change.
Despite the high incidence of pollen allergy in the population, the biological contamination produced by the pollens of ornamental trees in cities has not been taken into account because those responsible for parks and gardens in municipalities do not distinguish between allergenic and non-allergenic trees. The criteria usually used are aesthetic or economic, as in the case of the shade plane tree, a tree that grows fast, needs little water and is cheap.
It would be more reasonable to take measures aimed at achieving low-allergenic parks and gardens. It would be desirable for administrations to dedicate resources to cushion the impact of pollen emissions on the pollen-allergic population.