Environmental Allergies

What Are Allergies?

Inhalant allergies occur when your immune system becomes sensitized to airborne substances that are typically harmless to most people. These persons have circulating antibodies and cells that unleash an inflammatory response when specific allergens are encountered.

It is often helpful to think of allergies as a misdirected immune response–one that should be limited to things like bacterial or viral infections.

Allergies can vary in severity and develop at any stage of life. Common symptoms are listed below, but they can be difficult to distinguish from associated conditions like chronic sinusitis.

Common Allergic Symptoms

Sneezing

Nasal congestion and post-nasal drip

Throat fullness or chronic throat clearing

Cough

Itchy, watery eyes

Itchy throat or ears

Skin itching (pruritis)

Wheezing or chest tightness

Anaphylaxis

Symptoms Through the St. Louis Seasons

Spring

Allergy flare-ups (known as “hay fever”) are caused by the massive release of tree pollens as our area greens up. Symptoms can start as early as early February and tend to peak by late April. Spring is often the worst time of year for St. Louis allergy sufferers.

Summer

From May to September, grass pollen predominates in the St. Louis air. Pollens released from a mature grass stalk’s seed head and are designed to stay windborne over long distances, making avoidance especially difficult.

Fall

Autumn is a fantastic time in St. Louis–unless you’re an allergy sufferer. Fall allergies are typically triggered by weed pollens, which start to appear by mid-August and last until the first frost in late October. Mold also thrives in late fall and can significantly worsen symptoms this time of year.

Winter

While the St. Louis winter can be a welcome respite from pollen exposure, symptoms can be present in those with sensitivities to indoor allergens such as dust mites, pet dander and insect droppings. Molds are a year-round scourge, the spores of which become more dispersed by the dry winter winds.

Why Consider Testing?

In medicine, we typically try to treat all conditions with the easiest, lowest-risk options that work. Many of our patients have multi-season, severe allergies that don’t fully respond to antihistamines and nasal sprays. Allergy testing can be extremely beneficial in these cases.

An allergy test equips you with the knowledge of what you’re allergic to and how severe each sensitivity is. This can help optimize environmental control and help your physician construct an allergy action plan. The test also opens the door to allergy immunotherapy (shots or sublingual drops) should they become necessary to finally control your symptoms.

Lasting relief is possible. Click here to learn how comprehensive allergy testing and the immunotherapy programs offered through Midwest ENT Centre can help!

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