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Short Summary
Main recommendation: If spring allergy symptoms are worsening or you have asthma, avoid known triggers, use allergy and asthma medications as prescribed, and see a doctor if cough, wheezing, or shortness of breath appears or limits activity. The speaker, Dr. Denisa Blancas, a pulmonologist with Intermountain Medical Center, explains that a warm winter has started tree, grass, and weed pollen seasons earlier, possibly making allergy season both worse and longer.
Key Points
- Typical spring allergens include tree pollen, along with other trees, grasses, and weeds; an unusually warm winter caused many to start early.
- Grass is more of a summer allergen than a spring one, but patients with asthma often report worse symptoms when mowing or being around grass.
- Up to a third of people with allergies also have asthma, and allergies are a common trigger that can worsen asthma, causing more shortness of breath or cough.
- Post-nasal drip can irritate the airways and contribute to cough and asthma inflammation.
- Typical allergy symptoms are watery or itchy eyes and a runny nose; cough, especially with wheezing or shortness of breath, points toward asthma as well.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions: Avoid triggers where possible, such as contact with cats or dogs if allergic; limiting outdoor exposure during high pollen season has limits.
- Concrete instructions: For allergy symptoms, the doctor mentions over-the-counter antihistamines and some nose sprays to decrease allergy symptoms.
- Concrete instructions: For asthma, make sure inhalers are used the way they are supposed to be, take asthma medications as prescribed, and use the extra rescue inhaler as needed.
- Concrete instructions: If asthma symptoms are not well controlled, talk to a doctor, since therapy may need to be escalated during high-allergy times of year.
- Concrete instructions: Call a doctor if cough with wheezing or shortness of breath appears, or if wheezing is limiting activities, since asthma should be considered alongside allergies.
Bottom Line
Spring allergies can escalate into asthma problems, so monitor respiratory symptoms closely, not just itchy eyes and sneezing, and seek medical advice when breathing symptoms appear.
