Were You Ready For Grass Season?

Showering of Cottonwood Seedlings

The long cold winter has turned into a cool spring replete with temperature swings and requisite tree and grass pollens. This is the time of year people in the Midwest begin to complain about those cottonwood seedlings that infiltrate the air where trees are plentiful. Many allergy sufferers think those cotton-like floaters are their nemesis but they would be wrong.

The cottonwood tree which molts these seedlings every summer actually pollinates two months before the seedlings erupt. The floating seedlings have no impact at all on people allergic to cottonwood tree pollen.

On the other hand, cottonwood seedlings tend be prevalent in the air when grass pollen season is well under way. Grass and tree pollens are microscopic and therefore not visible to the naked eye. The cottonwood seedlings are too large to gain access to the nasal lining where allergic stimulation can take place.

So What Makes Your Nose Go Crazy When Those Seedlings are Swirling Around?

The most likely culprit is grass pollen. Trees that pollinate in May and June may also contribute to allergy symptoms this time of year (in the Midwest: Oak tree). Mold spores may also play a role in triggering typical hayfever symptoms when the cottonwood seedlings are out.

Last June (2007) I reviewed several steps you can take to get through your outdoor allergy season. Remember (Chicagoans) how annoying the Cicadas were this time last year?

New allergy medications have become available over the counter and by prescription. VeraMyst and Omnaris are relatively new nasal steroid sprays that have given more depth to the management of nasal allergy. Xyzal became available last year and has likely raised the bar for new generation, long-acting, oral antihistamines. The new generation antihistamines have little to no side effects of sedation and fatigue.

Astelin, a prescription nasal spray that has been around for more than 10 years, and is indicated for allergic nasal problems as well as non-allergic irritant rhinitis, has a new rival, Patanase nasal spray(prescription only). I have not yet collected feedback from my patients on Patanase but this should be forthcoming.

If you have nasal congestion, drainage, sneezing or just feel like you have a cold that won't quit, that fails to respond to allergy medications, an allergy work-up should be considered. A board certified allergist is trained to take a thorough symptom, family and environmental history, perform a focused physical exam and do allergy testing to define the trigger factors. A comprehensive treatment plan that involves orienting the patient/family to trigger factors and how to avoid them, and taking selected medications is established. Sometimes allergy shots are discussed depending on the level of response to allergy medications and environmental controls.

Comments or questions about any of this?

Email me at: AllergyQA@aol.com