Baltimore City Wire

Spring has officially sprung and for sinus inflammation patients with allergies, the struggle hits different. Here is a monthly breakdown of spring allergies.

Twice a year the days and nights are the same in length. We call this an equinox. The spring equinox arrives on Sunday, March 20 but unfortunately, for many who suffer from sinus inflammation or sinus headaches, the allergy season is just ramping up, according to Almanac. 

Tree pollen is the first offender to bring on sinus inflammation and other symptoms during the month of February. Trees can begin producing pollen as early as January and produce into June in some cases. Tree pollen can cause the same allergy symptoms as “spring allergies,” such as sinus inflammation, sneezing, congestion and itchy, watery eyes, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA).

March tree pollen becomes more of an issue but there are added triggers from grasses that may be coming in. Tree, grass and ragweed pollens do particularly well during cool nights and warmer days, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).

April Grass pollen emerges and flowers are still in bloom causing worsening seasonal allergic rhinitis, per AAFA.

May might bring much of the same, unfortunately. All these conditions are weather dependent of course. If the weather is favorable to any plants, any one type of pollen might see higher than normal levels, according to ACAAI.

If you have compounding problems of narrow sinuses and allergies there are treatment options. Treating the allergies is vital with one treatment option to be allergy shots, but to treat narrow sinuses or structural problems a specialist might recommend balloon sinuplasty. A minimally invasive procedure is done typically in an office where tiny balloons are inserted into the sinuses to expand the narrow opening, according to Healthline.

"It's the duty of the physician to provide those alternatives," Dr. Jamie Oberman of Frederick Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers. "So yes, some still do better with allergy shots, but there's also the sublingual route that we can always consider if they do have a needle phobia or can't make it to a monthly doctor's appointment if that doesn't work well with their lifestyle in addition to the medical management."

Patients suffering from sinus conditions are encouraged to take an online symptom self-assessment quiz to determine how bad their symptoms are and how much it is affecting their quality of life.