Can Allergies Get Worse During Fall?

It may start with a single sneeze or sniffle, but before you know it, you have a full-blown allergy attack: persistent congestion, runny nose, cough, or itchy and watery eyes. 

These are just a few signs of seasonal allergies, an issue that develops when your immune system overreacts to substances in the environment.

As you might suspect, seasonal allergies occur from a reaction to something in a specific time of year. In the spring, allergic triggers often involve trees as they awaken from a dormant state. In the fall, they have a very different trigger — ragweed pollen and mold.

Our team at Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology Associates can demystify your allergies by getting to the bottom of your triggers. And if they seem worse in the fall, it’s time to schedule a visit to get relief.

Why allergies worsen in fall

Technically, allergies are a problem no matter when they strike. The season that makes them worse can vary depending on your triggers. For example, pollen counts during spring allergy seasons tend to be highest in the morning and on warm, windy days. 

Fall allergies can strike with a vengeance from August to November, and they can even persist into winter. The leading offender of fall allergies is ragweed. However, other grasses and weeds that can trigger reactions include: 

• Sagebrush and tumbleweed
• Goldenrod
• Mugwort
• Pigweed
• Cocklebur
• Lamb’s quarters
• Burning bush

And the more of these plants that grow, the more pollen in the environment. For perspective, a single ragweed plant can produce 1 billion pollen grains — and they can travel great distances once they’re in the air.

In addition to grasses and weeds, mold also wreaks havoc on allergy sufferers during cooler months. Whether you live where foliage starts to decay or have a damp basement, these areas create the perfect environment for mold.

Fortunately, our team can help.

Diagnosing fall allergies

If you notice your allergy symptoms worsening once fall approaches, it’s wise to see an expert. Determining the exact source of your reactions is key to finding the best management strategy.

Our skilled experts offer several types of allergy testing, whether you have a food allergy, asthma, complicated allergic disease, or environmental allergies to things like pollen, weeds, and mold.

Allergy tests either involve your skin or your blood. During a skin test, we introduce a small amount of the suspected allergen to your body and watch for an allergic reaction. If you have a skin condition or serious allergy, we collect a blood sample and use that for testing.

These tests can offer definitive results about your allergic triggers so we can provide a personalized treatment strategy to keep you comfortable.

Treating fall allergies

When you’re allergic to something, the natural instinct is to avoid it. However, when you have seasonal allergies, it’s far more difficult to avoid something as pervasive as pollen and mold.

Instead, we recommend several approaches, such as:

• Shielding your face from pollen when outdoors with glasses, a mask, and a hat
• Keeping windows closed
• Changing out of outside clothes and shoes and washing them promptly when coming indoors 
• Taking a shower when coming indoors
• Vacuuming your home more frequently
• Washing bedding regularly
• Using a HEPA filter indoors

Our team can also suggest medications to relieve your symptoms. We also offer long-term solutions, like immunotherapy. This treatment, also known as allergy shots, desensitizes your immune system to your triggers so your reactions diminish or subside entirely.

Are your allergies worse during fall? Get relief once and for all at Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology Associates in Tampa and Brandon, Florida, today.