Covid or allergies? Here we go again as spring approaches in Western Pa.
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While many are eager to welcome warmer temperatures, seasonal allergy sufferers in Western Pennsylvania are likely bracing for the onset of familiar symptoms like watery eyes, nasal congestion and sore throat.
Some of those symptoms resemble covid-19, which may make it difficult for some people to determine whether they’re contending with allergies or the coronavirus.
“With seasonal allergies, typically they’re very focused on upper respiratory symptoms,” Excela Health’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Carol Fox said.
While covid-19 could also include nasal symptoms and cough, the virus presents additional symptoms that are unlikely to show with allergies, Fox said. Among them are chills, fever, body aches and gastrointestinal symptoms.
“With allergies, you may have a stuffy nose, but you shouldn’t have shortness of breath, whereas with covid, you may,” Fox said.
Itchy sensations also differentiate the two, said Dr. Christine Rauscher, an allergist at Allegheny Health Network. Allergies often involve an itching sensation that has not been a predominant symptom for covid-19, she said.
She also noted that a loss of smell, which is common with covid-19, is not typically a predominant symptom for allergies.
For chronic allergy sufferers who begin experiencing familiar symptoms, Rauscher recommended turning to their typical medications.
If symptoms worsen or feel different than their typical allergy experience, Rauscher recommended following CDC recommendations regarding covid-19 testing and quarantining.
“Where it becomes tricky is for individuals who are very mildly symptomatic with covid — they may experience what seems like a cold or symptoms that would be consistent with allergies, particularly for individuals with chronic allergies,” Fox said.
People whose symptoms seem worse or different than their usual allergies, or people who have been in contact with covid-19, should consult with a doctor and consider being tested for covid-19, Fox said.
A person’s allergy history should also be considered, said Dr. Merritt Fajt, assistant professor of medicine in the division of pulmonary allergy and critical care at UPMC. People who haven’t had allergies in the past should reach out to their doctor to discuss covid-19 testing and quarantining if they begin to experience symptoms, she said.
“If you are someone who had allergy symptoms in the past, start using your allergy medications in advance of the allergy season getting really bad. If you start having some symptoms and you use your usual medications and it doesn’t seem to be helping, I would recommend being evaluated for covid,” Fajt said.
Taking allergy medications before symptoms hit, Fajt said, will help avoid severe allergies and possible covid anxiety.
“I’m a big fan of trying to prevent symptoms before they get out of hand,” she said.
Tree and grass pollen are the main contributors for allergies around this time of year, Fajt said. Allergy season will likely begin to peak in May, although warm temperatures could mean allergy season gets worse sooner.
Fajt also noted that some allergies — like dust mites, mold and pet dander — can be found year-round.
Suffering from seasonal allergies does not make people more susceptible to covid, Fajt said.
“The data does not suggest environmental allergies make you more predisposed to coronavirus infection,” she explained.
There isn’t enough data yet to definitively determine whether the face masks that have become ubiquitous during the pandemic will have any significant impact on allergy season, experts said.
“It could help to a certain degree, although I’ve had a lot of people having nasal symptoms tell me that wearing a mask seems to make it worse because they feel like they are having a harder time breathing,” Fajt said.
Rauscher said eye irritation is a common allergy symptom, and face masks do nothing to prevent allergens from reaching the eyes.
“Certainly you can have tree pollen still land on your eye lashes if you’re not wearing glasses or a hat to prevent it, so you can still have irritation on your eyes,” she said.
One tool that could help people prepare for allergy season, Fajt said, is a pollen tracking app or website. Allergy sufferers can monitor pollen counts and, when they see them start to climb, begin taking allergy medicines before they begin to experience allergy symptoms.