With flowers and trees in early bloom, an unwanted guest is also coming early this year: allergies.
“With warmer weather and wetter weather, you’re going to have more pollens from trees, grasses and weeds,” said Dr. Sam Friedlander of University Hospitals. “You’re going to see more molds and even dust mites.”
An allergy specialist, Friedlander expects that stuffy-sneezy season will roll in during the next few weeks, and it’ll likely stick throughout the year.
“If you have tree allergies, that happens in the early spring,” he said. “If it’s grass pollen, that’s going to be in the later spring and summer. If it’s some of the weed allergens, that’s more in the fall.”
Friedlander said those who suffer from allergies should avoid anything that triggers their symptoms and to go ahead and take medication early—all to avoid any long-term problems.
“We have really good therapies,” Friedlander said. “If they go untreated, however, they’re going to lead to decreased quality of life issues, sports and exercise issues and like we talked about, more respiratory issues too.”