That May Not Be a Cold, Could Be Fall Allergies

Ragweed, mold most common allergens this time of year, experts say

By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Many parents complain that as soon as school starts, their child inevitably catches a cold. But, while kids do swap their fair share of germs during the school day, not every runny nose stems from a cold -- often, those sneezy symptoms are the result of fall allergies.

"When school starts, most parents think a runny nose has to be a cold, but a lot of times it's really hay fever caused by ragweed," said Dr. Joseph Leija, an allergist at Loyola University Health System's Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Leija also conducts the official pollen counts for the Midwest.

And, in the Midwest this year, he said, another allergen -- mold -- is an even bigger problem than it usually is. In fact, mold counts have been so high that air quality alerts have been issued. Normally, mold counts higher than 50,000 trigger air quality warnings, according to Leija. On Sept. 6 the count was 60,000.

Many areas of the country have been extremely dry this year, but that won't protect residents from mold allergies, Leija noted. It can rain heavily in one area and, even though it's very dry in surrounding regions, mold spores can travel with the wind.

Another concern: Allergy sufferers living in or near areas where corn is being harvested may be experiencing more allergies right now because corn is a member of the grass family, and grass allergies are common, according to Leija.

But, in most areas of the country, ragweed is the most common fall allergen. And ragweed often causes suffering until the first hard frost occurs, according to Dr. Blanka Kaplan, an allergist and immunologist with the North Shore-LIJ Health System in Great Neck, N.Y.

Why is ragweed such a problem? Well, just one plant can produce up to one billion pollen grains. And those grains are very light and travel easily. Depending on where you live, symptoms may start in early August and they can last through October, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI). Warmer temperatures and rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may be extending the ragweed growing season, the AAAAI reports.