Melting snow can be harbinger of allergy misery

Let the sneezing commence. While the retreating snow cover and rising temperatures this week might herald the return of robins and tulips, for some they're the nasal equivalent of a civil defense siren: Spring allergy season is coming.

Will a winter that was bitter cold even by Minnesota standards provide some relief on the pollen front? Sorry, no such luck.

That frosty winter helped by keeping the snow cover around long enough to delay the onset of allergies a bit, but it won't hamper the symptoms, said Dr. S. Scott Nicholas of Twin Cities-based Eisenstadt Allergy & Asthma.

Nicholas said it's difficult to predict exactly what this season will hold for allergy sufferers. Recent springs, he noted, have been especially harsh.

Doctors have a theory that a boom in tree planting and landscaping in recent years has boosted pollen production and amplified allergies. They say that trend can affect urban areas rich in concrete as much as suburban and rural areas.

"Because most of the allergens are so buoyant and so windblown, even though we live in the city, we still feel the effects of those," Nicholas said.

So what's an allergy sufferer to do?

"If you have more than a week of respiratory problems with no clear beginning or end, people should explore the possibility that they may have an allergy," he said.

For those who already have surrendered, start taking antihistamines at the allergy season's onset, as long as two weeks before pollen really starts flying. That increases the medication's effectiveness throughout, Nicholas said.

If symptoms don't settle down with over-the-counter remedies, Kaiser added, a visit to a family doctor or allergy specialist can help.

Tracking down the source of some allergens, such as the family cat, can be simple. But allergens are tough to avoid in the great outdoors, where pollen soon will hang in the air.

After that long, cold winter, staying inside when the sun and warm breeze beckon is "confining and harsh," Kaiser said.