While spring brings warmer weather, for some the season also brings runny noses and itchy eyes, the symptoms of seasonal allergies.

Winter to blame

According to school nurse Mrs. Susan Mourouzis, the lack of a lengthy hard freeze this winter means elements that cause such reactions from the body are showing themselves earlier.

“Sometimes when (the weather is) intermittently warm and cold (people), can see allergens in the air that aren’t usually here this time of year,” Mourouzis said.

Dangerous allergens

These allergens enter the body and cause the immune system to go to work.

According to anatomy and physiology teacher Mrs. Susan Mills, the immune system will attack these allergens.

This response causes itchy eyes and runny noses. “Your body sends these things called histamines to try to fight these foreign bodies,” Mills said.

Someone who deals with these types of systems annually is sophomore Elexus Wells.

According to Wells she has suffered from allergies since middle school

“I was in seventh grade. That (was) when I started taking medicine for (my allergies),” Wells said.

Such medicines that are taken to alleviate the symptoms of allergies negate the reaction that occurs inside the body.

According to Mills, the medicines such as Benadryl  are taken when allergic reactions happen.

“In response (to allergies, people) take antihistamines,” Mills said.

These antihistamines are helpful, but some allergic reactions can be dangerous for other reasons.

According  to Mourouzis, sometimes other conditions are activated when reactions to allergies happen.

“Sometimes allergies trigger asthma so (they) do try to identify what that allergy is,” Mourouzis said.

Wells relates to this situation because she has asthma.

According to Wells, as allergy season worsens it is difficult for her to breathe, so she has to take breathing treatments. However, her allergies have never produced severe asthma symptoms.

Allergic reactions 

According to both Mourouzis and Mills, allergic reactions can range from mild to severe.

However, according to Mourouzis, life threatening allergic reactions, or anaphylaxis, are uncommon.

“In rare instances (someone) can have an allergic reaction so bad that (that person) will need an Epipen,” Mourouzis said.

According to Mills, during anaphylaxis the body’s internal organs can swell and begin to fail.

She said that the response is an inflammatory response. “(Someone’s) heart can start to fibrillate,  (their) throat will inflame and can swell shut, and (their brain can swell),” Mills said.

These anaphylactic reactions rarely happen with seasonal allergies.

However, according to Mourouzis, recognizing the signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction when a friend is experiencing one is helpful.

“If (a student) is outside and (feels) like (a) friend is having an allergy attack, (the friend) should go inside, wash (their) hands and face with cold water and even change the shirt (they’ve) been wearing if  you have been outside,” Mourouzis said.

According to Wells, she said that those who struggle with allergies and asthma should rely on their doctor for aid.

She said, “(I would recommend) just make sure (you) check in with (your) doctor to get any extra medications that would help.”