LA CROSSE, Wisconsin (WXOW) - Allergy sufferers may have to endure an extended allergy season this year.
The unseasonably warm spring weather got the allergy season off to an early start. But instead of ending early, fall allergens are expected to remain on schedule.
Many people become increasingly more sensitive to pollen later in the season, making long allergy seasons particularly bothersome.
So far, the fall season pollen levels are not particularly out of the ordinary. But Dr. Douglas Nelson, Allergist at Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, said this doesn't necessarily mean that your particular symptoms will be better or worse.
"Every year, no matter what the weather's like," said Nelson, "we always have some people that come in and say "this is the worst year ever," and other people say "this year I'm not bothered very much." So it's not always predictable."
And the end of allergy season may not mean an end to allergy suffering for all.
"We always focus on allergies this time of year, just because there are a lot of people that suffer from seasonal allergies," said Nelson. "But allergies can occur at any time of the year. And actually, after the fall season I see people, they come and they say "I didn't get better. The fall went away and I didn't get better." And sometimes it's because they're allergic to indoor things, or things that might lead to more year round problems. So, I guess, just don't think of allergies as only a seasonal problem."
