Are you having trouble swallowing? Is your child refusing food? These difficulties may stem from a recently identified allergy/immune problem called eosinophilic esophagitis.
When you have an allergy, your immune system is reacting to a substance it sees as foreign and harmful to your body. That reaction causes the watery eyes, runny nose, coughing, and sneezing you’re probably familiar with — those are ways your body tries to get rid of the substances it doesn’t like.
You may have heard people refer to allergies as “seasonal” and “perennial” and wonder what exactly the difference is. It’s not hard, really!
Dr. Laura Ispas of Allergy Asthma & Immunology Institute in Leesburg, Virginia, is here to explain everything you need to know about seasonal and perennial allergies.
If you have seasonal allergies, your symptoms show up and go away around the same time each year. For example, let’s say you’re allergic to pollen from trees. Most trees start to pollinate anytime between January and April, which explains why you might start to feel allergy symptoms in those months.
If you’re only allergic to tree pollen, your symptoms should start to dissipate by late spring or early summer, when trees stop pollinating.
If you have perennial allergies, however, your symptoms may be chronic and persist year-round, or they may show up intermittently throughout the year. This means you’re allergic to substances that are always in the air, such as mold, dust mites, or pet dander.
Both seasonal and perennial allergies are a condition called allergic rhinitis. Many people also refer to seasonal allergies as “hay fever.” Both conditions are caused by the same thing — your immune system attacking an invader — but differ in duration, as explained above.
The actual allergens differ between seasonal and perennial allergies, too. Seasonal allergens include tree pollen, grass pollen, and weed pollen. Perennial allergens include dust mites, mold, pet dander, and some insects, particularly cockroaches.
Whether you have seasonal or perennial allergies, you can expect a number of symptoms, including:
In a perfect world, you’d be able to avoid your allergens. But that’s hard to do, and we don’t expect you to miss out on the beautiful spring weather because you’re stuck inside with a box of tissues!
To treat seasonal and outdoor allergies, try out these tips from Dr. Ispas:
To treat perennial or indoor allergies, try these tips:
If you’re taking measures to tackle your allergies but your symptoms still persist, it may be time to see an allergy specialist like Dr. Ispas. To learn more about seasonal and perennial allergies or to schedule a consultation at our Leesburg, Virginia, office, call us today or request an appointment online.
You Might Also Enjoy...
Are you having trouble swallowing? Is your child refusing food? These difficulties may stem from a recently identified allergy/immune problem called eosinophilic esophagitis.
Every three minutes, someone in the United States goes to the emergency room because of a food allergy. Do you know the most common signs of a food allergy?
While the symptoms and treatment may be similar, there is a difference between childhood and adult-onset asthma. Learn more about each.
You don’t have to live with the discomfort and embarrassment of rashes and hives. Learn about the conditions and situations that trigger these skin irritations and how you can achieve long-term relief from annoying symptoms.
Trying to clean your pet-friendly house for a visitor with dog or cat allergies can be tricky — and overwhelming. Try these five tips to make your guest’s visit more comfortable.
When allergies make you feel miserable, you want relief FAST! A traditional allergy shot schedule takes months to finish, but an accelerated allergy shot schedule offers relief much quicker. Here’s how it works.