Resources for Medical Professionals
Learn more about common allergic diseases, symptoms, management paradigms, and testing considerations.
Is your patient a candidate for specific IgE testing?
Get detailed information on whole allergens and allergen components.
Ready to test a patient?
Resources for Medical Professionals
Learn more about common allergic diseases, symptoms, management paradigms, and testing considerations.
Is your patient a candidate for specific IgE testing?
Get detailed information on whole allergens and allergen components.
Ready to test a patient?
What are pollen allergies?
Feb. 22, 2022 | Rebecca Rosenberger MMSc, PA-C
While there are thousands of plants that cause allergic reactions, the most common pollen allergy triggers are grasses, trees, and weeds. Here are some of the usual suspects for each. 1
So what is pollen, exactly?
In technical terms, it’s the male fertilizing agent of flowering plants, trees, grasses, and weeds.2 In nontechnical terms, it’s the yellow powdery stuff that coats your car during spring.
Due to pollen’s microscopic size, it travels easily through the air, especially on windy days. This means that your allergic reaction might not be caused by pollen produced nearby but rather from sources miles away. While there are thousands of plants that cause allergic reactions, the most common pollen allergy triggers are grasses, trees, and weeds. Here are some of the usual suspects for each:
Common Tree Pollen Allergy Triggers
Common Weed Pollen Allergy Triggers
Pollen allergy symptoms
|
|
How to deal with pollen allergies:4
- Shower after working outside. Wash hair, eyes, and eyelashes.
- Remove work clothes outdoors, place them in a bag, and carry them to the washing machine.
- Consider taking your allergy medicines before going outdoors if directed by your healthcare provider.
- Stay indoors when pollen counts are high for pollens you’re allergic to.
- Have someone else do your yard work, or wear a microfiber facemask.
- At home and when driving, keep windows closed, and when possible, use an air conditioner.
- Use high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters for furnace and vacuum cleaners.
Allergy testing
Knowing that your symptoms can change from day to day depending on the weather, and that they could be caused by pollen floating in the air from miles away, doesn’t make finding relief any easier. But learning more about potential causes, allergy testing options, and trigger-avoidance methods is a good start. Learn more about how to get an allergy test here.
Rebecca Rosenberger is the Associate Director of U.S. Clinical Affairs & Education in the Immunodiagnostics Division at Thermo Fisher Scientific and a physician assistant specializing in allergy & immunology.
- https://www.pollen.com/allergy/pollen-allergens.
- https://www.aaaai.org/conditions-and-treatments/conditions-dictionary/pollen.
- https://www.aafa.org/pollen-allergy.
- Discover the connection: Reduce Exposure to Your Allergic Triggers. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 2018.
Related Content
Want to learn more about allergies? Explore a range of topics.
Tools for Understanding Allergies
Track allergy symptoms and prepare for a visit with a healthcare provider.
Learn about specific allergens, including common symptoms, management, and relief.
Are you a healthcare provider? Get comprehensive information on hundreds of whole allergens and allergen components.
Fact Checked
Allergy Insider is committed to providing accurate, evidence-based information to empower allergy patients and support healthcare providers.
Allergy Insider content is:
- Based on objective information from medical literature and peer-reviewed scientific publications (which are referenced within the text and via the References section at the bottom of most pages)
- Fact-checked and reviewed by our medical and scientific affairs team, comprising practicing healthcare providers
Choose your preferred language
Please note: By selecting a different language, you are choosing to view another site. Product availability and indications may vary from what is approved in your region.
Create a summary of your allergy symptoms in a downloadable document
Share the summary with your healthcare provider for a productive conversation about allergy blood testing
Gain an optimized diagnosis and a personalized treatment plan
Allergy Symptom Questionnaire
Allergies affect us all differently. This questionnaire will summarize your specific allergy symptoms to share with your healthcare provider and learn more about your testing options.
- Create a summary of your allergy symptoms in a downloadable document
- Share the summary with your healthcare provider for a productive conversation about allergy blood testing
- Gain an optimized diagnosis and a personalized treatment plan
|
Create a summary of your allergy symptoms in a downloadable document |
Create a summary of your allergy symptoms in a downloadable document
|
Share the summary with your healthcare provider for a productive conversation about allergy blood testing |
Share the summary with your healthcare provider for a productive conversation about allergy blood testing
|
Gain an optimized diagnosis and a personalized treatment plan |
Gain an optimized diagnosis and a personalized treatment plan