Allergies hit earlier and harder, climate change and vegetation to blame, WNC doctor says

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by Marc Liverman

Thu, March 28th 2024 at 9:59 PM

Updated Thu, March 28th 2024 at 5:04 PM

MARCH 27, 2024 - Dr. Elise Coulson, an allergist with Allergy Partners, says patients seemed to start feeling the effects of pollen earlier in the season this year and their symptoms seemed to be worse. (Photo credit: WLOS staff)

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — If you suffer from seasonal allergies, this might not come as a surprise, but at least one local allergy doctor said patients' symptoms this year are starting earlier and are worse than ever.

"I've seen as many patients probably in March as I did in peak season last year," said Dr. Elise Coulson, an allergist with Allergy Partners based in Asheville. "Patients are definitely coming in earlier."

Coulson said her patients are also often dealing with worse symptoms than any other year, too. She said a big part of that comes down to higher levels of allergens, like pollen, in the air.

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According to Coulson, there are three big reasons we're seeing more of these allergens in Western North Carolina. To start, the USDA has updated its plant hardiness zoning map.

"Which means plants can flourish here that might not have in previous years been able to survive the cold weather," she said.

That flourishing is only made worse in places like our area with higher altitudes.

"It will be blooming at different elevations at different times, which then sort of prolongs the whole season," Coulson said.

Reason No. 3: warmer weather.

For that factor, we talked to WLOS Chief Meteorologist Jason Boyer.

"We partnered with Climate Central to get this data and the winter warming, the average temperature since 1970, has gone up 3 1/2 degrees for our winters. So, you're not getting the cold snaps as often as you were, and it's not getting as cold as it used to. So, that allows these plants to survive and thrive even beyond the winter months," Boyer explained.

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But Coulson reminds patients that you don't have to suffer through it. Try to manage your symptoms with things like nose spray and eye drops. Allergy shots will also help desensitize your body to the allergens and do what you can to keep pollen and other allergens from getting in the house in the first place. You can do things like change your HVAC filter as often as possible and keep your windows closed as often as possible as well.