Allergy Season Hits Baltimore Hard Even As Pollen Counts Drop
WHITE MARSH, MD. (WJZ) — An estimated 50 million people suffer from seasonal allergies in the United States and this allergy season is one of the worst in memory- and especially bad in Baltimore.
"The mid-Atlantic area this time of year is really bad, there's high humidity so we get more mold and more dust mite allergy then year round because of the humidity. We'll get more air pollution which makes sinuses, allergies and asthma worse," said Dr. David Golden, Baltimore allergist.
Dr. Golden said the pollen count is actually lower now than what it was last month.
"The third week of April is when it went nuts. Up to 2,000 and then 2,883 on April 21, so that's more than a month ago," He said.
Those who suffer from allergies in Baltimore are feeling it.
"I'm dying, nasal, coughing, I got it all," said Anthony Dragone, a New Jersey man working in Baltimore.
Dr. Golden said even though the pollen count has dipped this month other factors are making people feel miserable.
"If it doesn't rain for a while, even if the pollen isn't that high, it always seems to build up on people. I'm sure it's going to be really bad Memorial Day Weekend because we're not seeing a lot of rain," Dr. Golden said.
Over the counter medications like Claritin, Zyrtec and Allegra can help but so will some common sense.
"Wash your hands, everything you touch outside has pollen on it. You touch the car door or something and then you touch your face and the next thing you know you're having an allergy attack," Dr. Golden said.