Audience
Asthma Peak Week for allergy sufferers is coming soon, and it's an especially dangerous time of year for those with asthma. This year is made even worse because of this pandemic that is caused by a respiratory virus. Ragweed pollen is produced starting in August and can last until the first frost of the year, generally in late October. Around this time, leaves are falling and mold is feasting on the foliage. Both ragweed pollen and mold can cause those who are allergic to suffer. Persons unaware that they have allergies can become worried that their symptoms are coming from indoors, especially if they are new to the environment that is causing them to become symptomatic, like college students moving to school in the fall. These allergens tend to come from outside, though, so it is important to be aware of your allergies. During this pandemic and with some similar symptoms to COVID-19, allergy sufferers may fear they have been infected. Allergies tend to present like a common cold, but an important distinction is that allergies generally do not cause a fever. For individuals that are vaccinated, have not been exposed to someone with a known coronavirus infection, and are without a fever, getting tested for COVID-19 may not be necessary if you have allergies and exhibit the normal allergy symptoms. If you have a fever, loss of smell/taste, or shortness of breath, those are symptoms that clearly differentiate from allergies and merit being tested for COVID-19. Asthma Peak Week is a period that most commonly occurs in the third week in September and asthma patients can be more vulnerable to severe asthma attacks due to the increased triggers in the environment. The more you know about your own health, the better your chances are of decreasing your suffering.
For more information on ragweed pollen allergies and how to decrease your suffering, the following link is full of good information: https://www.aafa.org/ragweed-pollen/
For asthma patients, the following link provides tips for avoiding asthma episodes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeannecroteau/2019/09/16/its-asthma-peak-w…
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at tbrewer@smcm.edu