Allergy Season Hits Early After February Warm Spell Brings Pollen
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Usually, it's still weeks before allergy sufferers begin to feel the effects of tree pollen, but some people are dealing with runny noses and itchy eyes right now.
"Really bad. One time my eyes puffed up and I couldn't even see," 8-year-old Jayden Erickson said.
Jayden is used to battling opponents during hockey season. But this year, oddly enough, he was battling allergies too.
"You have to itch your eyes every five seconds. And you get so sniffly. And it really bothers me," Jayden said.
Early spring allergy sufferers can thank the weird, winter weather for their suffering. Temperatures that pushed 60 degrees in February took care of the snow cover.
"The pollens have started showing up in the air. They are not sky high yet, but they have begun showing up already," said Dr. Pramod Kelkar of Allergy and Asthma Specialists in Maple Grove.
Dr. Kelkar said he began seeing patients like Jayden in mid-February, nearly two months before he would typically see his spring regulars.
"I wouldn't be surprised if this year turns out to be one of the really awful years for allergy sufferers," Dr. Kelkar said.
Dr. Kelkar is ready to prescribe nose sprays, allergy pills and even a sinus rinse. For some patients, like Jayden, it's already bad enough that a weekly allergy shot is required. Dr. Kelkar said if your sinus issues are lingering, it may be more than the common cold.
"If patients have stuffy nose, runny nose, sneezing and it's not going away in 7 to 10 days, and they don't have fever, no body ache, it is not the common cold. They need to think about allergies as the cause," Dr. Kelkar said.
Dr. Kelkar said you are more likely to have allergies, if your parents have them.
If neither of your parents have allergies, you still have a 10 to 20 percent chance of having allergies.