After being cooped up all winter long (even though there wasn’t that
much of a winter in these parts) nothing feels quite so good as getting
outside under the clear blue skies and breathing in the fresh spring
air.
Ahhhh!
Unless, of course, getting outside this time of year leads to sniffles
and sneezes and makes your kids miserable. If your children have
certain allergies, then going outdoors is about the last thing you want
them to do in the spring time. It’s a double-edged sword.
Spring is a tricky time of year for allergy sufferers because of the
fluctuating temperatures.
"When the temperature goes up, we can expect the mold and pollen counts
to go up as well," says Dr. Jay Portnoy, chief of allergy and
immunology at The Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo. "And
when the temperature drops off, so do the pollen and mold counts."
This year, allergy season began quite early, and Portnoy says that
could mean the spring allergy season (when grass-allergy sufferers have
it worst) will be over in May. However, there’s no guarantee.
Ten to 15 percent of children have allergies, which represents about 15
to 20 million children in the United States. Allergies do run in
families and can start anytime in a child’s life, although they aren’t
common before age five. If you suspect your child has allergies, you
might want to have him or her tested.
An allergy is the body’s immune system fighting off harmless
substances. This reaction causes symptoms like itchy eyes, a runny nose
or difficulty breathing.
Dr. Portnoy says the best treatment for an allergy is simple: avoidance.
"If you know what you’re allergic to ... then avoid going outside when
that count is high," Portnoy says, referring to the mold and pollen
counts taken each day at Children’s Mercy.
The daily count is published in the Kansas City Star, is available at
other media outlets and can be accessed by calling the hospital’s
allergy hotline at 346-1331 Monday through Friday.
Portnoy says progress is being made regularly in the search for allergy
treatments. Medication is available today that is able to minimize
allergic reactions and not make the patient drowsy. Those medications,
generally, are available only by prescription.
Children’s Mercy is also investigating a new type of allergy therapy,
called rush immunotherapy. It is similar to conventional allergy
immunotherapy in that patients receive injections of progressively
larger doses of an allergy-provoking substance until they build up a
resistance to it. The difference is the rush therapy is done over a
week or less, instead of over several months with traditional therapy.
"We’re making progress," Portnoy says.
The best news for springtime allergy sufferers is that, like all
things, this, too, shall pass.
