If you thought the first frost would put an end to your runny nose and watery eyes for the year, you may be in for a surprise.
The first frost does bring a drop in the pollen count and some relief to allergy sufferers. However, the air still is filled with dust, pollutants and bacteria that cause symptoms similar to allergies and asthma, according to Dr. Hans F. Otto, a Florence allergist and immunologist.
“Lots of things can give you a runny nose and sneezing,” Otto told members of the Florence Rotary Club at a meeting on Monday, November 21. “There are still plenty of irritants not defined as allergies – even the weather.
“Cold weather can bring on reflex rhinitis. Wet weather can cause reflex rhinitis.”
Otto joined the Family Allergy and Asthma practice in Florence last year. A U.S. Air Force veteran with more than 10 years of active duty service, he previously served as chief of allergy/immunology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio. He also is an adjunct faculty member at Wright State University.
Otto has practiced on three continents, and everywhere he goes he hears the same refrain from allergy sufferers.
“Everybody says this is the worst place in the world to live if you have allergies,” he said. “In reality, allergies are bad wherever you go around the world.”
A stuffy and drippy nose, sneezing and coughing, itchy or watery eyes, sinus drainage and soar throat all can be symptoms of allergies, colds or rhinitis (inflammation of the mucous membranes lining of the nose). That’s because the nose connects to the sinuses in front and in back of the eyes and all the tissues are contiguous, Otto said.
As a result, people often confuse rhinitis with an allergic reaction or sinus infection. All may cause pain and headache but rhinitis typically does not cause a fever, according to Otto.
“The lining of the nose swells, you get pressure and you get fluid build-up and you think you’ve got an infection,” he said. “From 60 to 80 percent of the time, you will get better in a week or two without antibiotics” because it’s only an inflammation of the tissues in the nose and sinuses.
So how do you know whether symptoms are simply rhinitis rather than allergies or sinus infection?
“When the symptoms interfere with work or school, we can help determine the cause of the problem,” Otto said.
For information about the weekly meetings, guest speakers, and community service opportunities of the Florence Rotary Club, contact Pat Moynahan, president at amoynahan@insightbb.com or 859-802-0242. Visit the group’s website at www.florencerotary.org. Florence Rotary meets weekly on Mondays at noon at the Airport Hilton Hotel in Florence.
Article submitted by Pat Moynahan.
