DES MOINES, Iowa — If your seasonal allergies are bugging you earlier than normal this spring, local experts told Local 5 Iowa's warmer-than-normal winter could be the culprit.
Early signs of spring meant more opportunity to get outside and enjoy the unexpected sunshine, but in exchange, spring allergies have made an early appearance as well. Due to increased humidity and early tree pollination, symptoms may be more intense this year for Iowans.
“What you have is trees start pollinating earlier, because it's warmer, and that's the primary culprit in the spring," said Kenneth Mendez, CEO of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
A new report from the foundation shows that Iowa’s capital city of Des Moines is the eighth worst city in the country when it comes to dealing with allergies.
The three criteria used to rank cities across the country include pollen counts, over-the-counter medication usage and access to allergy specialists.
Des Moines struggles most with that last part, according to Mendez.
'If you don't have a lot of specialists or allergists there, then it's going to be even the more challenging to live in those cities," he told Local 5.
Though the issue has impacts across the Des Moines metro, Mendez told Local 5 there is a shortage of allergy specialists throughout the United States.
As a result, Iowa pharmacists like Sharon Rickertsen are already seeing in increase in patients seeking allergy relief. She recommends a proactive approach to allergy season.
"When a patient comes in asking about allergy symptoms, there is preventative treatment that they can start before they know something that is going to trigger their allergies will kick in," Rickertsen said.
Preventative medications include antihistamines, like Claritin, Allegra or Zyrtec. Those can be taken daily throughout allergy season.
For those who need quick relief, Rickertsen says decongestants should do the trick, but they should only be used to help occasional symptoms, rather than long-term.
The third class of over-the-counter allergy medications is corticosteroids, which can help with inflammation. Steroid nasal sprays can also be used on a daily basis to keep congestion under control.
“Please ask the pharmacist for a little bit of help or recommendation. Give them your symptoms so that you're certain you're getting the product that's actually going to treat your symptoms," Rickertsen advised.”