Seasonal allergies are causing familiar symptoms like headaches, congestion, itchy eyes, and runny noses for many Canadians as the weather warms up. Dr. Moshe Ben-Shoshan from the Montreal Children’s Hospital notes that allergy season has begun, with patients experiencing hay fever, asthma flares, and eczema flares due to increased pollen levels.
Experts attribute the worsening allergy seasons to climate change, leading to longer and more severe pollen seasons with higher pollen counts. Factors such as pollution, shifts in carbon dioxide levels, and light pollution in urban areas are also contributing to the problem.
A report from Aerobiology Research Laboratories indicates that Vancouver and Victoria are facing a spike in tree pollen allergies, with the West Coast climate accelerating the release of allergenic pollen types like birch and oak. The rest of the country is also entering tree-pollen season, with allergy hot spots such as Barrie, Kingston, and Hamilton in Ontario.
Managing seasonal allergies involves a mix of prevention measures, traditional medications, and emerging treatments. Over-the-counter antihistamines, nasal sprays, and eye drops can help alleviate symptoms, but desensitization treatments that introduce small amounts of allergen to the body are the only way to modify the allergy itself. New desensitization options like sublingual immunotherapy tablets offer long-term tolerance to allergens and can be done at home.
For severe cases, targeted biologic drugs may be an option to block specific immune responses causing allergic reactions. It’s crucial for allergy sufferers to undergo testing by allergists to identify triggers and rule out other underlying health conditions mimicking allergy symptoms.