The temperature isn’t the only thing that has been up lately. So has the pollen count, which means many are suffering from allergies.
“The allergy season has been horrendous,” said Dr. Robert Mittman, an adult and pediatric allergist with the Allergy & Asthma Family Care Center on Bell Boulevard in Bayside.
Mittman went on to say that “without question” this has been the busiest allergy season in six or seven years. He said that one reason for this is the higher pollen counts. Another factor has been the “crazy weather,” where one day there has been rain and then the next it is an 80-degree day.
So far this season, Mittman said that he has seen a larger number of patients who have either never had allergies before or who previously only had mild allergies. He has also seen patients who typically take over-the-counter medicine but have found it not to be effective this season.
Symptoms of allergies include irritated, red, itchy eyes; sneezing; thin, clear and watery nasal discharge; a horizontal crease at the bridge of the nose called an “allergic crease;” and discoloration under the eyes. Mittman said that family history can also play a role and that, most times, if a parent has allergies their children will too, although it could be an allergy to something different.
While cold symptoms can last for two days to two weeks, allergy symptoms can be persistent and recurrent.
Mittman said that testing can be very important to determine what a person is allergic to, since the cause is not always obvious. Once the cause is known, he said that avoidance is always the best step when dealing with allergies.
Allergies can also be treated with different forms of medication, including pills, nasal sprays and eye drops. There are also vaccinations.
“Allergies are not harmless,” Mittman said.
If left uncontrolled, Mittman said that allergies can lead to chronic sinus conditions, asthma, infections or other medical conditions.
Photo by Jessica Lyons
Allergist Dr. Robert Mittman said that the current “allergy season has been horrendous.”
