Local allergists report influx of patients as fall allergies worsen

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- People around central Ohio may have noticed their noses are runny, their eyes are itchy, and they are sneezing quite a bit because ragweed pollen is increasing, triggering fall allergies.

Local allergists said these symptoms probably aren’t going away any time soon. In fact, Dr. Rekha Raveendran, the Director of Allergy and Immunology at OSU’s Wexner Medical Center, said it may get worse before it gets better.

“Now it’s moderate. It's heading toward high. So in the next couple of weeks, it's going to start peaking. And so you're going to see worse and worse allergies. More stuffy noses, more itchy, watery eyes. That's all kind of coming forward for us,” said Dr. Raveendran.

Local allergists said they are seeing an influx of people suffering from allergies.

However, fall allergies can be a bit harder to diagnose because more illnesses occur in the fall.

Dr. Farah Khan, an allergist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, said it’s especially hard to recognize in kids.

“The one thing that I always tell parents is if it's become like a pattern year in and year out and you're like, the itchy eyes only get better with some oral antihistamines, and this goes on for several weeks, I would say come see an allergist,” said Dr. Khan.

It can take years for children to even be diagnosed with allergies.

“It’s the chronicity of symptoms. And if you start to notice a pattern like my kid is five and every year for the last few years when we are cooling back down, he is sneezy and itchy, then yeah, it might be time for an allergist,” said Dr. Khan.

No matter the age, allergy symptoms are pretty much the same: runny nose, congestion, itchy and watery eyes, sneezing, and maybe even some coughing.

Treatment is the same, too, and allergists recommend oral antihistamines, nasal sprays, and eye drops.

Dr. Raveendran said people will likely be dealing with fall allergies for weeks or months.

“They’re generally getting worse every year. And I think it's because the seasons are sort of melding together,” said Dr. Raveendran. “Our frosts are kind of getting a little bit later. So the weeds are staying out a lot longer. So you tend to have symptoms a lot longer.”

Besides medication, people can also make some changes at home that could help relieve symptoms, including immediately showering and changing clothes after being outdoors.

It’s all about keeping the pollen away from you.

“Keeping windows closed at home or in the car, even if it's a beautiful day, because otherwise all that pollen is rushing into your face if you're driving around the car or settling on the furniture. And then there's no difference with being inside versus outside,” said Dr. Khan.

People will feel some relief as the weather gets colder, but they won’t be free from those fall allergies until the first frost kills the weeds. That could happen anytime between mid-October and early December.