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Climate change making allergy season longer

The season is becoming longer, which means trees stay greener for longer periods of time and the grass grows faster.

TOLEDO, Ohio — If you've noticed your allergies are worse than normal lately, you're not alone. 

We are in the height of allergy season, but experts indicate climate change might be a factor triggering that sneeze of yours. The season is becoming longer, which causes changes in nature like trees staying greener for longer periods of time and the grass growing faster. 

This means we have more pollen than we've experienced in the past due to warmer temperatures.

Symptoms like coughing, congestion, itchy eyes and sneezing are all signs your allergies are acting up. If you've noticed those symptoms sticking around longer throughout the year, it's because pollen is spreading much more easily.

"We have the amount of pollen increasing," University of Toledo Medical Center allergist Dr. Svetlana Kriegel said. "So the high exposure equates to more symptoms, so we have more severe allergies as we see now as compared to maybe 20 years ago."

So what can you do? Allergists recommend if you've never been treated for your allergies it could be time to get them checked out and see if there are any treatments or medications that can alleviate your symptoms during certain times of year. 

"I think it is important to keep the allergies under control," Dr. Kriegel said. "That's the most important because not well-controlled allergies can make you more susceptible to bacteria and viruses. And so that becomes an issue when you have when you start having bronchitis."

As the temperatures only continue to get warmer, it's important to pay attention to your symptoms, especially if they start to worsen.

 

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