Spring allergies: what they are and how to distinguish them from the common cold

Spring is back and so are allergies. A quarter of the population suffers from it, and the numbers are increasing, especially in Western and industrialized countries, even among adults who have not been infected with it before. But what are the most common spring allergies and what are their symptoms?

What is meant by sensitivity?

First, we can say that allergies are an abnormal reaction of the immune system that produces antibodies to defend itself against generally harmless substances, such as plant pollen. A person with an allergy is sensitive to at least one of the proteins that make up pollen, which may be present in other pollen grains and in some foods.

A variety of allergies

In mountainous regions and northern Italy, allergies to birch pollen occur immediately in early spring between February, March and April, and in the rest of the country the most common spring allergen is grass allergy (grass pollen), while in the Mediterranean areas where Spring allergies are mainly caused by pollen of olive or Baritaria (other grass).

symptoms

The symptoms of an allergy do not change depending on the type of allergen: in general, pollen allergy is manifested by symptoms of rhinitis (sneezing, stuffy nose, runny nose), conjunctivitis (red, watery, burning eyes) and in 30% of cases also asthma with wheezing and difficulty breathing. Breathing, dry cough, and a strong feeling of tightness in the chest.

Cold or allergies?

To find out whether the cold that occurs in the spring is a simple cold and not an allergy, it may be useful to first undergo an allergy visit and then, based on the specialist's assessments, specific tests that can be customized for each individual patient.

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