Allergy season: what to pay attention to in May and how to relieve symptoms
Kyiv • UNN
In May, allergy sufferers should beware of tree pollen, meadow grasses and cereals, especially rye. It is important to monitor the allergen forecast and follow the recommendations of doctors.
In May, when everything around is blooming, many people begin to suffer from allergies to the pollen of various plants. Due to the beginning of active flowering of trees, cereals and other plants, allergy sufferers may experience nasal congestion, sneezing, itchy eyes and even breathing problems. UNN learned which plants are most dangerous during this period, and how to properly protect yourself from their effects.
What can you be allergic to in May?
According to Violetta Oliynyk, allergist at the Odrex Medical House, trees, meadow grasses and cereals bloom in May.
May is the month when various crops bloom, which in turn can act as allergens. This is the flowering of trees, meadow grasses and cereals. Some of them begin to bloom at the beginning of the month, some - at the end of May
At the end of May, cereal grasses begin to bloom actively.
"Among them, the most common are rye, timothy grass and buckwheat," Oliynyk added.
As Professor and leader of the aerobiological direction in Ukraine Victoria Rodinkova explained, cereals will be the main factor in May.
"In no case poplar fluff, which does not cause allergies, because it is not pollen, but plant seeds," the expert noted.
But not only pollen from May to October will be a dangerous environment. There will be many more allergenic fungal spores. Some of them, such as alternaria, act in synergy with cereal pollen (and this is lawn grass, it is full in cities and meadows), causing allergies together with cereals
In particular, according to the "Allergoprognoz" resource, the spread of poplar fluff falls at the end of April - in May it most often coincides in time with the beginning of flowering of cereals. It is their pollen that is one of the most aggressive on the territory of our country, because it is not visible to the naked eye.
In addition, the results of molecular testing in Ukraine showed that poplar pollen caused allergies in only 0.4% of sensitive individuals.
Allergy symptoms
The main symptoms of seasonal allergies, or so-called pollinosis, according to Oliynyk, are nasal congestion, frequent sneezing, clear discharge from the nose, itching, redness and swelling of the eyes, dry, hacking cough.
Sometimes these symptoms can be combined with a rash on the body, which is accompanied by severe itching. These symptoms can be dangerous because they are similar to a common ARVI. Therefore, it is important to carry out differential diagnostics in order to accurately establish the diagnosis, since the treatment of acute viral infection and the treatment of allergies differ significantly
How to reduce the symptoms of seasonal allergies
First of all, Victoria Rodinkova recommends monitoring the projected allergen concentration module. Thanks to it, you can find out on which days and hours you need to avoid contact with potentially high levels of pollen in your region.
"It (the forecast module, -ed.) is based on real pollen data that we collected and are collecting in Ukraine," Rodnikova said.
The expert noted that in order to reduce the manifestations of seasonal allergies, the main thing is not to go outside during periods of active flowering. You also need to change clothes, shoes, wash your eyes, nose and head after contact with pollen. According to Rodnikova, you can also wear a mask during periods of active flowering, as well as glasses - to protect your eyes.
In addition, it is recommended to install a fine-dispersed filter at home, which does not allow pollen to enter the room.
It is also important not to forget about wet cleaning, which will help get rid of allergens from furniture and floors.
But Violetta Oliynyk, in turn, recommends symptomatic treatment.
"These are antihistamines, saline solutions for washing the nose, special nasal sprays and eye drops.
It is also important not to forget that there should be preparation for the allergy season 2 weeks before the start of flowering - these can be antihistamines, sprays or drops, depending on the manifestations," the expert explained.
In addition, she stressed that there is also specific treatment for allergies, which allows not only to remove the symptoms, but also to cure it.
"This is called ASIT (allergen-specific immunotherapy). Such treatment is quite long, it takes from 3 to 5 years. For this, you need to consult an allergist who will help conduct a specific search for the allergen and prescribe a treatment regimen," Oliynyk explained.
According to the expert, you should also pay attention to your diet during this period.
"It is also important to drink enough water. And it is important to remember that in many cases, if you have pollinosis, then you should have certain dietary restrictions during the season, because most flowering plants give cross-reactions with some food products, for example, with nuts or fruits," Oliynyk noted.
