Allergies are extremely common across all age groups in the United States, affecting 82 million people each year. Allergies can be seasonal or perennial, meaning they experience symptoms year-round. Seasonal allergies are often caused by sensitivity to pollen, airborne mold, weeds, or grass, whereas perennial allergies are triggered by pet dander, mold spores, dust mites, or worse— cockroaches.
However, at least 1 out of 3 adults with rhinitis symptoms do not have allergies. Non-allergic rhinitis usually afflicts adults and causes year-round symptoms, especially runny nose and nasal congestion. This condition differs from allergic rhinitis, because the immune system is not involved.
Non-allergic rhinitis symptoms are similar to those of seasonal allergies, causing chronic nasal congestion, sneezing, and post-nasal drip. The key difference is non-allergic rhinitis is usually brought on by irritants like smoke, heavy perfumes or odors, hot or spicy foods, hormonal changes, or sudden changes in temperature! This causes inflammation in the nasal lining, which increases sensitivity to inhalants.
Allergist, Dr. Roland Honeine has helped patients of all ages identify and treat their allergies, and answers some of your most common allergy questions:
I have heard this myth throughout the years, “My body changes every 5 years,” or “My immunity flips every 7 years.”
The truth is that your body changes every day. Your body adapts to the environment it is in, and adjusts your heart rate, skin temperature, mucus production, and breathing based on what you experience. Your immune system encounters threats all the time and responds to them appropriately. Allergic symptoms happen when your immune system inappropriately reacts to biological items such as pollen, food, or pet dander.
As we go through different phases of our lives, our environments change. Our immune system will be exposed to something new, and lose exposure to something else. New allergies may develop, while older allergies improve.
So, to summarize, no, allergies do not change after a set number of years, but they do change based on how long you’re exposure to different environments.
We are not born with allergies, but we can have genetic factors that make us more prone to developing them. Kids tend to develop allergies because their immune systems are being exposed to a lot of new things for the very first time while constantly growing and adapting. As our bodies change, so can our tolerance to environmental allergens.
During puberty, the development or changing of allergy symptoms increases, particularly for hay fever, asthma, and dermatitis. This is mostly due to the hormonal fluctuations during puberty.
Unfortunately, we cannot predict if an allergy will improve with age. But, with regular monitoring and evaluation, we can gauge the improvement or worsening of their allergies and adjust their treatments to best support their needs.
Allergies change with environmental exposures. If you’ve recently moved to a new part of the country with a different mix of weeds, trees, or grass you have never been exposed to, it’s possible to develop sudden allergies.
There many over-the-counter therapies for seasonal allergies:
Newer generation antihistamines such as cetirizine (Zyrtec), fexofenadine (Allegra), loratadine (Claritin), desloratadine (Clarinex), and levocetirizine (Xyzal) last longer, cause less side effects, and are better tolerated than older generation antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl).
Nasal steroids should be your first-line treatment for seasonal allergies. If you know you suffer from seasonal allergies, nasal steroids will be more effective if administered 2-3 weeks before allergy season starts. They should be sprayed in the nose, pointed away from the septum (midline of the nose).
Decongestants should not be used to treat seasonal allergies because of they can cause “rebound congestion” if used for more than three or four days in a row. This causes the congestion and nasal swelling to become more severe and can even become chronic.
Nasal saline rinses are a safe help way to clear the nasal passages from pollen and mucus, and can even help medicated nasal steroids work more effectively when used before administering the medication. They are also safe for daily use, just be sure to use distilled, sterile water to prevent any infections.
If over-the-counter treatments are not helpful, discuss your symptoms with your healthcare provider, who can adjust your treatments or refer you to an allergy specialist.
Even though most allergy medications are available over-the-counter, if you begin noticing new or worsening symptoms, symptoms lasting more than a few weeks, or symptoms that begin affecting your daily life, it may be time to consider discussing seasonal allergies with your doctor.
Your doctor may also recommend allergy immunotherapy, which can be administered by weekly injections for 4-8 months, or by taking daily tablets (sublingual immunotherapy). Depending on the type of allergies you have (like grass pollen), you may need to start taking tablets up to 4 months in advance before allergy season. The recommended length of treatment for the injections and tablets is 3-5 years.
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