Fall allergies share symptoms with covid; ragweed a leading trigger - TribLIVE

The maturation of pollen-packed plants like ragweed means the fall allergy season has arrived in Western Pennsylvania.

“Sometimes it’s really obvious, if every fall or spring you get symptoms,” Lang noted.

Tree pollen is a leading allergen in the spring while ragweed takes over as a primary culprit in the fall.

Ragweed blooms and releases pollen from August to November, with pollen levels in many parts of the country hitting their peak by mid-September, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

In many areas of the country, ragweed pollen levels are highest in early to mid-September.

Pollen.com offers an online tool that can be used to obtain a forecast for upcoming pollen levels in major U.S.

It indicates pollen levels are expected to be in the low-medium range Wednesday in Pittsburgh, with a pollen count of 4.6.

A pollen count measures the grams of pollen present per cubic meter in a 24-hour period.

The two plants have some similarities in appearance, but the goldenrod blooms turn a bright yellow while the blooms of the common ragweed are a more subdued green.

An allergy sufferer may experience itchiness or tingling in the mouth when eating cantaloupes, watermelon, bananas or sunflower seeds because those foods have proteins that share similarities with the ragweed pollen, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

Other plants that can trigger fall allergies include burning bush, pigweed and mugwort.

To limit exposure to the pollen from these plants, Lang said, “The smartest approach is to keep the air conditioning on and the windows closed.

Original forms of these medications can make people drowsy, but newer versions avoid that side effect, Lang said.