Lessons from the pandemic: getting to know your allergies

Often dismissed as inconvenient cough or sniffles, allergies are on the rise. Across industrialized countries, the number of people impacted has been rising for the last fifty years.[i] If you are not one of those people, then you almost certainly know someone who is. Despite the burdens that allergies can place on everyday life, we seldom talk about how challenging they can be. During this[ZC/1]? World Allergy Awareness Week (June 13-19, 2022), as the world emerges from a pandemic, we must raise awareness of how respiratory allergies can be better diagnosed and treated through self-care. ???

Beyond the respiratory analogy, COVID-19 bears a vital lesson for our approach to allergies. Over the last two years we have collectively confronted COVID-19. From medical innovations and mass vaccinations to self-testing and personal isolation, the pandemic has pressed us all to exercise a duty of care to others – and to ourselves. Now, as we continue to transition to a new normal of living with COVID, we must remember that duty of self-care.

Connections run deeper though. Coughs, sneezes, tiredness, loss of taste or smell… we have all learned to be alert to the signs of COVID. But would you be surprised to learn that these can also be symptoms of respiratory allergies? Overlapping symptoms have led people to assume they have COVID-19 rather than an allergy, and monitoring symptoms has been key for those with pre-existing allergies to avoid misdiagnosis through the course of the pandemic.

Seasonal allergies, or allergic rhinitis (inflammation of the inside of the nose), for example, includes symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, mild tiredness and ?headache, while asthma even includes shortness of breath or wheezing. At this time of year, with grass pollen counts high, symptoms of both will likely be exacerbated. The key differentiators with COVID-19 are a fever which is not a symptom of respiratory allergies or severe fatigue, loss of smell and taste which are not common symptoms of respiratory allergies.

Interestingly, with personal protective equipment (PPE) having become commonplace during the pandemic, evidence suggests that the use of face masks potentially lower the burden of inhaled airborne particles[ii] - including the substances that cause allergic reactions, which are known as allergens. Nevertheless, viruses can increase the risk of exacerbating allergic respiratory symptoms and managing these through self-care is crucial to avoiding misdiagnosis, enhancing wellbeing and restoring health.

Take allergic rhinitis, which affects between ten and thirty percent of the global population. Understanding triggers and making lifestyle changes are important. Simple measures, including using an air purifier and keeping living spaces dust-free, can make a big difference – as can checking the pollen count before going outdoors. Moreover, antihistamines provide a safe and proven way to suppress symptoms, such as runny nose, sneezing and itching.

As well as managing symptoms, being proactive with self-care can help identify whether they are a result of allergies or COVID-19. Beyond the devastating human cost, the pandemic hit healthcare systems, testing regimes and budgets hard, with staff and resources diverted. With that in mind, the availability of self-care treatment options for allergies can contribute to protecting the public purse.

Marking #WorldAllergyAwarenessWeek this year, we must remember our duty to self-care by recognising and acting on the symptoms of respiratory allergies. Keeping allergic reactions under control can help prevent the progression of symptoms and spread of airborne germs such as coronaviruses, helping us all to live healthier lives without the coughs and sniffles.

[i] World Health Organization. White Book on Allergy 2011-2012 Executive Summary. By Prof. Ruby Pawankar, MD, PhD, Prof. Giorgio Walkter Canonica, MD, Prof. Stephen T. Holgate, BSc, MD, DSc, FMed Sci and Prof. Richard F. Lockey, MD.

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[ii] Dror, A. A., Eisenbach, N., Marshak, T., Layous, E., Zigron, A., Shivatzki, S., Morozov, N. G., Taiber, S., Alon, E. E., Ronen, O., Zusman, E., Srouji, S., & Sela, E. (2020). Reduction of allergic rhinitis symptoms with face mask usage during the COVID-19 pandemic. The journal of allergy and clinical immunology. In practice, 8(10), 3590–3593. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaip.2020.08.035

?[ZC/1]Missing a preposition i.e. ‘in’, ‘during’??