ACMC Pulse •
7
AS MANY AS
1 in 4 Americans is
affected by seasonal allergies. These
are allergies that come and go as
the seasons change. People can also
be allergic to pets, food, cosmetics,
drugs, dyes and bee stings.
“You can tell you have a seasonal
allergy by the time of year you
experience the symptoms,” said
Akhil Chouksey, MD, Ashtabula
County Medical Center (ACMC)
allergist/immunologist. “In the
spring it is a pollen allergy, in the
summer it is grass, and in the fall it
is dust and mold.”
The majority of patients usually
are allergic to several things and
therefore have symptoms for longer,
even throughout the year.
What causes those symptoms?
The things you are allergic to are
known as allergens. The body fights
them by releasing chemicals such as
histamine.
Symptoms of an allergy include:
➜
➜
Nasal congestion, bouts of
sneezing or drainage.
➜
➜
Redness, itchiness and swelling of
the eyes.
➜
➜
Skin rashes and swelling.
➜
➜
Recurrent sinusitis.
➜
➜
Frequent headaches.
➜
➜
General tiredness and lack of
concentration.
➜
➜
Shortness of breath or wheezing.
➜
➜
Low-grade fever.
“These symptoms can be subtle,
but we know that even with mild
symptoms, productivity in children
at school and adults at work can be
affected,” Dr. Chouksey said.
Allergy symptoms can keep you
from enjoying the outdoors or even
trigger asthma—a serious lung
disease that causes wheezing and
shortness of breath.
“You are never too young or
old to be tested for an allergy,”
Dr. Chouksey said. “This is especially
important for young children and
older adults. If a senior citizen has
recurrent bouts of chest problems,
they also may have coexisting
allergies or immune problems
contributing to it, and they need
to be tested.”
Breathe easy
Dr. Chouksey said if the allergy
symptoms are severely affecting
your quality of life, there are
treatment options that include
over-the-counter allergy medication
or injections.
“Allergen avoidance is the gold
standard of the treatment,” he
said. “However, one can only avoid
allergens present inside the house
such as pets, dust and mold. When
we have a seasonal allergy, we
cannot avoid or change nature. Yes,
if we know allergens are stronger
in the morning, we can wait until
later in the day to go outside, but
we cannot avoid it altogether. That
is when we must consider medical
treatment.”
Over-the-counter medication
or prescribed drugs can both help
fight the allergen and lessen the
symptoms you experience. For those
who do not want to take medication,
there are allergy injections that can
help your body adapt to the allergens.
This is known as immunotherapy.
“We determine what you are
allergic to and then begin a treatment
of injections to fight that specific
allergen,” Dr. Chouksey said. “It
can take a year or two to build up
immunity, but they are 70 percent
effective.”
Other suggestions for minimizing
seasonal allergies include:
➜
➜
Use air conditioning—it cleans,
cools and dries the air.
➜
➜
Keep your windows closed
at night so your bedroom does
not become an
extension of
the yard.
➜
➜
Stay
indoors
when the
pollen level
is high.
Need an allergy
specialist?
ACMC allergist/immunologist Akhil Chouksey,
MD (pictured), prepares equipment to test the
amount of air flowing in and out of a patient’s
lungs. Dr. Chouksey is a fellow of the American
College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. He is
currently welcoming new patients from Ashtabula,
Lake and Geauga counties.
Schedule an appointment by calling
440-997-6969
.
P lse •
SEASONAL ALLERGIES
Nothing to
sneeze at
