The symptoms are all too familiar -- itchy eyes, running nose, coughing, sneezing, wheezing -- allergy season is upon us.
"It's a bad year," said Medicine Prof. Thomas Platts-Mills, head of the asthma and allergic disease center at the University Medical Center. "We know it's a bad year."
Experts attribute the large pollen crop produced by trees this spring to increased moisture retained in the ground over the winter.
"One of the differences this spring is we're starting the year out with much more moisture available in the soil than in several previous years, so plants are off to a somewhat better start than in years past," said Jerry Stenger, research coordinator for the state climatology office at the University.
Student Health officials report many students seeking relief in their offices, a phenomenon they experience this time every year.
"We've been very busy lately," said Sharon Krause, a student health triage nurse and coordinator of the allergy clinic. "There have been a lot of people with allergies."
The finer, grainier pollen in the atmosphere can bother allergy sufferers far more than pollen often visible on cars and rooftops. Tree pollen generally starts at the beginning of April followed by grass pollen in May, Platts-Mills said.
"The last few days have been very bad, and a lot of people have been suffering," he added.
Gretchen Beck, the sole medical doctor at Blue Ridge Allergy and Asthma, conducts pollen counts biweekly. Her latest reading on Tuesday registered a count of 833 pollen grains per cubic meter. The scale she uses denotes any count above 90 as high, and a reading over 1500 as very high.
Clear, dry days typically result in the release of more pollen, but rain does not necessarily equate relief.
"Rain will temporarily quell pollen in the air, but will generate more mold, and many people who are allergic to pollen are also allergic to mold," Krause said.
Typical allergy symptoms include a runny, stuffy nose and teary eyes. People with a history of asthma also may experience difficulty breathing and feel a tightening in their chest, Krause said.
Second-year College student Ben Navarro suffers from many of these seasonal allergy symptoms.
"I find the astronomical pollen count is absolutely debilitating," Navarro said. "Sometimes I can't find the strength to roll out of bed and attend my most important classes because the symptoms have me so overwhelmed."
Beck recommended common sense remedies to combat allergy symptoms, such as closing windows, running the air conditioner and taking a shower at the end of the day. Conventional medication, including nasal sprays and eye drops also can help sooth symptoms.
"The thing that's really deadly is to put a fan in the window blowing inward," Platts-Mills said, noting the fan will blow more pollen into the room.
First-year College student Evan Fay, an allergy sufferer, said he believes the air conditioner he brought for his first-year dorm room has aided in alleviating his suffering.
"It's helped tremendously," he said.
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