Courtesy: Dustin McGrew
Spring has sprung in Pittsburgh, and people with seasonal allergies have noticed all too
quickly.
The spring months are a perfect storm of allergies, according to Dr. Hey Jin Chong of
UMPC Children Hospital’s Allergy and Immunology Department.
“Some people are allergic to tree pollen, which means they’ll have symptoms from April
to June,” Chong said. “But some people are allergic to grass pollen, which means they’ll
have symptoms from May to early July.”
According to Dr. Chong, seasonal allergies are caused by an immune response from
the body to pollen you breathe in. Dr. Chong said that allergy seasons have become
increasingly longer over the past few years.
“That may be attributable to global warming,” Chong said. “People are experiencing
symptoms in March and even late February. There seems to be more pollen in the air
and the pollen seasons are longer.”
Dr. Chong said that the best way to combat allergy symptoms is with a consistent
medication routine with a daily antihistamine and/or nasal steroid.