KANSAS CITY, Mo — It is that time of year. People's eyes start to water, their nose starts to itch and they're likely reaching for the medicine cabinet for some kind of relief.
Experts say many people in the Kansas City area are experiencing worse than usual allergy symptoms this season, but the reason may not be what some think.
In 2019, William Anderegg and other researchers conducted a study called "Anthropogenic climate change is worsening North American pollen seasons."
In the study, Anderegg and his colleagues took a look at pollen counts from 1990 through 2018.
“[There's] A strong correlation between temperature specifically, and the amounts of pollen that [are] in the air,” allergist and immunologist, Travis Sifers, said.
Sifers said while he sees more patients year after year, this year’s uptick may seem greater due to the consequences of the pandemic.
“It's just a big notice in this year than last, because we're opening up a little more," he said.
Clinically significant nasal allergies affect about 20 to 25% of Americans. But more people are sensitive this season to symptoms they may have otherwise ignored.
“This year, it was ‘Do I have COVID?’ No, I've been vaccinated, I'm fine. It's not covid, I'm not sneezing," Kansas City resident Rosemary Polk said. "You know, or a runny nose because of that. About a year before the vaccination, any time you coughed you said ‘Is that COVID? So that’s just a reflex.”
Polk is not alone. Enough people are worried about the root of their symptoms, prompting the CDC to share multiple graphics with the public outlining the differences.
Sifers says the biggest distinguishing factor is itchiness.
“You're gonna have itchiness for one that you just don't have if you're coming up with an upper respiratory infection, or COVID 19 specifically," he said.
Sifers says nasal steroid sprays are most effective for immediate relief, or people can also rely on over-the-counter medicine.
If symptoms persist for years, there is a series of allergy shots one can get that will cure their allergy once and for all.
