Can You Develop Seasonal Allergies Later in Life?

Seasonal allergies happen when your body’s immune system overreacts to ordinarily harmless things in the environment, like pollen. This overreaction can cause symptoms such as sneezing, a runny nose, and itchy eyes. While many people develop allergies as children, allergies can also appear for the first time in adulthood. 

About one-quarter of adults have seasonal allergies, also called hay fever or allergic rhinitis. Women and non-Hispanic white people are most likely to have seasonal allergies as adults.

An allergic reaction occurs when your body mistakes a harmless substance as a harmful invader. When you inhale pollen, for example, your immune system may release antibodies that tell your cells to release a chemical called histamine. Histamine release is a major cause of allergy symptoms.

Lifestyle changes, genes, and aging can all affect your risk of developing new allergies. Factors may include:

• Location: Moving to a new place with different plants or molds may lead to new allergies.
• Activities: You may develop allergies if you start a new hobby, like gardening, that exposes you to new allergens.
• Genetics: Allergies can run in your family. Even if you didn’t have allergies as a child, you might have inherited a tendency to develop them later.
• History of allergic conditions: Allergic conditions sometimes develop over time in what’s called the atopic march. It usually starts with eczema in infancy. It may progress to food allergies, then nasal allergies, and eventually to asthma. If you have any of these allergic conditions, you may be more likely to have adult allergies.

When Do Seasonal Allergies Happen?

Seasonal allergies are most common in the spring, summer, and fall, when there is more pollen and mold in the air. However, research shows that the allergy season is getting longer due to climate change. That leads to more symptoms for many people with seasonal allergies. 

Certain factors also affect how much pollen may be in the air at any given time. These include:

• Temperature: Many types of pollen multiply when the nights are cool and the days are warm.
• Time of day: Pollen counts tend to be highest in the morning. 
• Humidity: Mold spores multiply in times of high humidity and warm temperatures.
• Wind: Windy days kick up lots of pollen.

The most common types of seasonal allergies in adults are pollen and mold allergies. The specific types of pollen that affect you can vary depending on your region and the time of year. 

Summer and fall allergies often stem from grass and weed pollens. Common types of fall plant pollen include:

• Ragweed
• Burning bush
• Cocklebur
• Lamb’s-quarters
• Pigweed

Spring allergies typically stem from tree pollens. Common types of tree pollen include:

Symptoms of seasonal allergies may feel similar to those of a cold, so it can be hard to tell the conditions apart. However, cold symptoms usually resolve in 1-2 weeks. Seasonal allergy symptoms typically last several weeks or more.

Common seasonal allergy symptoms include:

• Sneezing
• Runny or stuffy nose with thin, clear mucus
• Itchy nose and throat
• Itchy, red, or watery eyes
• Itchy skin
• Postnasal drip (mucus running down the back of your throat)
• Coughing
• Dark circles under your eyes

If you have asthma, seasonal allergies can trigger an attack of symptoms such as:

• Wheezing
• Shortness of breath
• Coughing

Seasonal allergies typically don’t cause severe or life-threatening symptoms. However, other types of allergies, such as allergies to food or medications, can cause a serious reaction called anaphylaxis. This is a body-wide immune response that requires immediate medical attention.

Healthcare providers can usually diagnose seasonal allergies based on your symptoms. Your healthcare provider may recommend a skin prick test or blood tests to confirm your allergens. Treatment and management options may include lifestyle changes, medications, and immunotherapy.

Lifestyle Changes

You can help manage your seasonal allergy symptoms in several ways:

• Avoid triggers: Try to stay indoors as much as possible on high-pollen or mold days. Keep your windows closed and use air conditioning if it’s available. If you know which types of pollen affect you, check those pollen counts to guide your activities.
• Wear a mask and eye protection: This step can be helpful during outdoor activities, such as mowing the lawn, during allergy season.
• Take a shower or bath: It may help to wash off allergens after an outdoor activity or before going to sleep at night.
• Use a saline nasal rinse: This step helps clear allergens from your nose.

Medications

Over-the-counter (OTC) medications may also help ease your symptoms. These include:

• Steroid nasal sprays: These sprays help reduce inflammation and congestion in your nasal passages. Common examples include Flonase (fluticasone), Nasacort (triamcinolone acetonide), and Nasonex (mometasone).
• Antihistamines: These medications come in forms such as tablets, nasal sprays, or eye drops. They help relieve allergy symptoms like itching, sneezing, and watery eyes. Examples include Zyrtec (cetirizine), Claritin (loratadine), and Allegra (fexofenadine).
• Cromolyn sodium nasal spray: You need to use this type of nasal spray before exposure to an allergen for it to be effective. It helps prevent your immune system from releasing chemicals, such as histamine, that cause allergy symptoms. NasalCrom (cromolyn) is one example.

It’s important to take any medication, including OTC drugs, exactly as your healthcare provider recommends.

Immunotherapy

With immunotherapy, injections or pills contain a very small amount of the allergens that trigger your immune reaction.

Each week, your allergist gradually increases the amount of allergen to which you are exposed until you reach the treatment threshold. There is a risk of anaphylaxis, so these allergy shots should be given in an allergy clinic, where medical staff can immediately recognize and treat anaphylaxis if it occurs.

Your healthcare provider can help you decide whether immunotherapy may be a good option for you.

Most seasonal allergy symptoms that develop in adulthood are mild and manageable. If your symptoms are severe, you can talk with your healthcare provider about further treatment options. It’s very important to call emergency services if you develop any signs of anaphylaxis, including:

• Trouble breathing or swallowing
• Chest pain
• Itching or swelling of your lips or tongue
• Weak pulse, dizziness, or fainting
• Vomiting or diarrhea

Adult-onset allergies are common. New seasonal allergies in adulthood can result from a genetic predisposition, exposure to new pollens, or changes to your immune system. The most common seasonal allergens are pollen and mold.

You can help manage new allergy symptoms by avoiding your triggers, taking medications, or getting allergy shots.