Long, Snowy Winter Blamed For Early Allergy Season
By Lynne Adkins
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The snow and ice have finally melted -- relief!
But not if you suffer from allergies.
It's already annoying and it's going to be a bad year for allergies, according to Dr. John Krouse, chairman of the department of otolaryngology-head-neck surgery at Temple University School of Medicine.
"We're just now starting to see some of the pollination of the trees, and I think that's starting to affect people. But even more than that, when you have a very wet, snowy winter, there's a lot of mold that's able to be produced. And as that snow goes away and the wet ground is exposed, there's a lot of mold spores that will trigger patients' symptoms."
He says he's seeing a lot of suffering patients with runny noses and itchy eyes.
"I think it's earlier, and I think it's something that's more potent than last year. And I think when you get these long, cold, wet winters, when you come out of those, you get a sudden exposure to the environment and patients really react in a very strong way."
He says many over-the-counter medicines can help if they don't see a doctor.