Allergy season starts early

For the allergy afflicted who sneezed and sniffled their way through Puget Sound's recent spate of bloom-inducing, early spring weather, the return this week of gray, weepy skies meant some relief.

"I'm one of the very few happy people when it rains," said Barbara Nesmith, an allergy sufferer from Fremont who relished Monday's drizzle. "Oh, I can breathe! I actually went for a walk."

Wet weather tamps down some of the free-flying pollen, but the trees that shed their microspores in the cloudless blue of February will continue to rankle noses, throats and eyes through the end of April.

This year, the pollens began blowing about two weeks earlier than normal -- in early February because of the sunny weather -- signaling the beginning of a prolonged and tortured allergy season for many.

But patches of colored flowers sprouting from the brown earth, the most visible hint of spring, are not the primary allergy culprits.

Less flashy flora -- shrubs and trees such as birch, alder and cottonwood and evergreens, including juniper and cedar -- produce the abundant pollen that sends the sensitive diving for tissue and straining to see through red, swollen eyes.

These plants rely on the wind rather than insects to carry their pollen. It's a less efficient mode of fertilization, requiring much more pollen to get the job done, said Estella Leopold, a retired botanist who teaches at the University of Washington.

For example, some evergreens produce between 10 and 1,000 times more pollen per tree than a flowering cherry, Leopold said.

That excess pollen means millions of irritating particles wafting through the air.

"They have kind of nondescript flowers and yet they produce a great deal of pollen," said Leopold. "They're not showy, but they're very obvious to hay fever sufferers."

Leopold, whose specialty is the study of pollen fossils, keeps a log of blooming dates for the shrubs, flowers and trees around her Ravenna neighborhood for fun.

This year, she noticed hazelnut shrubs making an early appearance. A cluster of Japanese cherry trees on the quad at the University of Washington has also starting to bud, threatening to bloom earlier than normal this year. (Other varieties of cherry trees already are in full bloom around the region.)

Dr. William Henderson, head of the allergy and inflammation center at the University of Washington, said he was doubtful when patients started complaining about allergy symptoms on Feb. 1.

When he checked it out, he was surprised to find the pollen count already in the higher ranges.

"They were right," Henderson said. "People's noses are a good clue about what the pollen counts are."

For years after moving from Kansas to Seattle in 1977, Nesmith blamed her burning sinuses and plugged-up ears on a winter cold. There were no flowers blooming, so how could she have allergies?

"I just had no idea what was going on until I actually got some allergy tests," said Nesmith. "They said well, you're allergic to alder."

This year, she broke out the antihistamines even earlier.

For most allergy sufferers, antihistamines are sufficient, but for those with the most severe symptoms who are losing sleep, missing work or unable to carry on a conversation without sneezing, there are other options, including a series of shots or prescription nasal steroid sprays, said Henderson.

Seattle's typically dry summers mean no escape from the allergy-provoking grasses and weeds to come during the summer and fall.

Still, it could be worse.

Seattle consistently ranks outside the top 10 worst cities for seasonal allergies, according to a handful of national surveys.

"When you see relief depends on what you're allergic to," said Dr. Leonard Altman, an allergist at the Northwest Asthma and Allergy Center. But the tree pollens usually cause the most misery, because seasonal allergies have been dormant all winter, Altman said.

"Then, it's like a reawakening."

P-I reporter Jessica Blanchard contributed to this report. P-I reporter Julie Davidow can be reached at 206-448-8180 or juliedavidow@seattlepi.com

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