Coping with Airborne Allergies

Introduction

For millions of people of all ages, allergies to substances in the air cause symptoms ranging from mildly annoying to serious. Seasonal hay fever, the most common allergy, results from a sensitivity to airborne pollen from trees, grass and weeds. Unfortunately, allergic symptoms don't always take a vacation when the pollen season ends. Since most people with allergies react to more than one substance, people with airborne allergies may suffer all through the year. Other common airborne troublemakers include dust, mold and animal dander—scales from an animal's fur, hair or skin.

Airborne allergies can't be cured. But knowing what an allergy is, when to seek help and how to deal with allergies will let you enjoy life more fully in any season.

What is an Allergy?

For unknown reasons, a person with allergies overreacts to a substance that is harmless to most people. The most common of these substances, or allergens, are airborne materials such as pollen and dust. A person without allergies simply swallows or coughs out these substances. But the immune system of a person with allergies reacts to them by making disease-fighting proteins called antibodies.

The antibodies cling to various body cells, where they await future attacks. The next time the person inhales the allergen, the waiting antibodies cause the cells to release irritating chemicals like histamine. These irritants migrate to the breathing passages, where they cause the familiar unpleasant symptoms.

Should You Seek Help?

Sometimes it's hard to tell whether your symptoms are due to allergies or a cold. But when severe "cold" symptoms linger for more than a week or two, or when you regularly or seasonally suffer symptoms, allergies are probably to blame. Contact your doctor if you or anyone in your family regularly experiences some of the following:

Persistent sneezing, along with a runny or stuffy nose
Coughing and post-nasal drip
Swelling, especially of the face, hands, throat, feet and genitals
Itching eyes, nose or throat
Dark circles under the eyes
Persistent nose-rubbing
Watering, red-rimmed, or swollen eyes; crusting eyelids
Frequent nosebleeds
Loss of taste or smell

People with allergies may develop a serious condition called asthma. In people with asthma, the air passages in the lungs narrow, making it difficult to breathe. If the symptoms of asthma—wheezing and shortness of breath—accompany allergy symptoms, seek prompt medical attention.

A medical visit to diagnose allergies usually includes an examination and a question-and-answer session with your doctor. An examination of your nose and throat will suggest allergy if those tissues appear pale and swollen. Your answers to the doctor's questions should narrow the field of possible allergens.

Allergy tests

To pinpoint particular allergens, the doctor may also recommend either skin tests or blood tests. Fast, inexpensive and reliable, skin tests use weakened allergens such as mold, pollens or dust. The doctor injects these substances under your skin or paints them over a scratch on your arm or back. Within about 15 minutes, each material to which you are allergic produces a raised red spot with a reddened area around it.

In place of a skin test, a doctor may suggest a blood test if a patient suffers from a skin disease, has recently taken antihistamines or has difficulty with the skin testing procedure. Blood testing for allergies involves examining a blood sample for specific antibodies. Compared to skin tests, though, blood tests are more costly and less accurate, and they take several days to process.

Avoiding Airborne Allergens

One allergy often leads to another. Taking some general precautions may therefore keep you or your family from developing further allergies—or at least may provide some relief from allergic symptoms.

Using an air conditioner and an air cleaner and vacuuming with a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter can reduce the ill effects of several airborne allergens. Try, too, to avoid fresh paint, tar fumes, air pollution, insect sprays and tobacco smoke. All aggravate allergic symptoms. Tobacco smoke can also cause allergic symptoms. Finally, research suggests that reducing children's exposure to dust, animal hair and tobacco smoke can help prevent childhood asthma.

If your child regularly experiences allergic symptoms at school, investigate the classroom. There you may discover some avoidable allergy triggers such as classroom pets, storage spaces with old papers or dusty play areas. If your child has hay fever, ask the teacher to consider when scheduling outdoor field trips to avoid exposure when pollen counts are high.

The following tips may help you avoid specific allergens:

Seasonal pollen allergy (hay fever)

Stay inside in the early morning, especially during dry, warm and windy weather.
When the pollen count is high, keep the windows closed and the air conditioner running.
Dry newly washed clothes and bedding inside, instead of hanging them outside.
To keep allergens out of your bed, bathe and wash your hair at night.

Mold allergy

Molds multiply in damp basements, so use a dehumidifier. Other problem spots at home include closets, shower stalls, refrigerator drip pans, house plants, air conditioners, humidifiers, garbage cans, mattresses, foam pillows and upholstered furniture.
Outside, avoid mowing the lawn, raking leaves and walking through tall grass or weeds.

Dust allergy

In the bedroom, remove wall-to-wall carpeting and replace blinds with shades.
Remove down blankets, feather pillows, fans and pets.
Thin out overfull closets.
Encase mattresses and pillows in zippered, plastic, airtight and dust-proof covers.
Wash bed linens in water hotter than 130 degrees.
Throughout the house, replace wall-to-wall carpeting with throw rugs, and remove dust-catchers like books and magazines.
Wipe surfaces frequently with a damp cloth.

Animal allergy

House your pet outside or in less-used rooms that get vacuumed daily. Young animals cause fewer allergies than old ones, and females cause fewer allergies than non-neutered males. More people are allergic to cats than to other pets.
Keep the pet out of the allergic person's bedroom.
A person without allergies should give the pet a weekly outdoor bath and brushing.
Anti-allergic solutions for pets can reduce the number of skin scales your animal releases into the air.
Allergy sprays can kill some animal allergens in rugs and furniture.

Medication and Shots

Since avoidance won't necessarily relieve all allergic symptoms, your doctor may recommend one or more medical treatments. Over-the-counter antihistamines fight the effects of histamine, which causes allergic symptoms. These medications can help stop sneezing and itching and relieve a runny or swollen nose. Side effects include drowsiness and a dry mouth. New antihistamines, available by prescription for children over 12 and adults, are less likely to make you sleepy. The medications in nose sprays can either prevent an allergic reaction or ease allergic symptoms.

In repeated visits to the doctor over a period of many months, a person with allergies can get injections of increasingly stronger allergens. These shots reduce the antibodies that cause allergic reactions and produce antibodies that protect against them. Allergy shots are time-consuming and expensive. Still, they remain the most effective long-term treatment for allergies.

For More Information

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

1125 15th Street NW, Suite 502

Washington, DC 20005

(800) 7-ASTHMA

Allergy and Asthma Network

3554 Chain Bridge Road, Suite 200

Fairfax, VA 22030-2709

(800) 878-4403

For information on air-cleaning devices:

Indoor Air Quality Information Clearinghouse

(Contractor for Environmental Protection Agency)

P.O. Box 37133

Washington, DC 20013-7133

(800) 438-4318