Doctors in Macon seeing early allergy symptoms as pollen season begins

Doctors at Piedmont Primary Care say early tree pollen and elevated flu activity are overlapping across Georgia.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Piedmont Macon providers are seeing a spike in allergy, sinus and viral symptoms such as early tree pollen and elevated flu activity overlap across Georgia.  

Pollen season in Georgia is intense and long, running from late February until early October. 41NBC stopped by Piedmont Primary Care at Bass Road and spoke with Dr. Nisarg Patel about ways to make those months a bit smoother for those who have allergies. 

“The February flu increase is definitely real,” he said. “We have seen quite a few patients suffering from that. The pollen season, we’re on the cuff of it. We’re now starting to see one or two people being affected by it on a daily basis. However, we’re expecting that number to increase as the weeks go by.”

Dr. Patel says patients impacted by pollen are already coming in, and doctors expect it to get worse. 

“The most common symptoms being things like sneezing, running nose, stuffy nose, itchy eyes, watery,” he said. “Also, itchiness and scratchiness in the throat as well.”

If you’re experiencing  symptoms, Dr. Patel says the biggest difference between the flu and allergies is fever. 

“Which is defined as temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher,” he said. “This is very uncommon in allergies. Even things like body aches, sore throat, are more pointing towards an infection than allergies.”

Unfortunately, we can’t avoid pollen. Dr. Patel says our warm climate allows many different plants to house pollen for months.  

“On top of that, we don’t get as much rain as our neighboring states like South Carolina or Florida,” he said. “So, there isn’t enough rain to wash everything down, so the pollen stays in the air for a long period of time. So, you just are more likely to be affected by pollen in Georgia, compared to its neighboring states.”

If you are affected by pollen, Dr. Patel recommends nasal sprays, Claritin, Allegra, or Zyrtec. For eye drops; artificial tears are good for the eyes, but he says you should always check with your doctor first, if you’re unsure.