A bee pollinates a wild flower in the Butterfly Garden at Moraine State Park in Muddy Creek Township. People with allergies can use pollen counts to determine their outdoor activity level.

Warmer, wetter spring weather made this year's allergy season especially tough, according to doctors in Butler County.

“What we've been seeing in seasonal allergies is longer seasons with peaks of the pollen counts,” said. Dr. Deborah Gentile, an allergist at Allergy and Asthma Wellness Centers, a new practice slated to open in the Pullman Center Business Park next month.

“We're actually seeing a longer duration of those allergy seasons,” she added. “They start earlier, and the pollen counts are higher. We think it's because of global warming.”

For 15 years, Gentile ran a nationally certified pollen counting station in Pittsburgh operated by the National Allergy Bureau of American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Allergy sufferers can obtain daily pollen and spore counts, as well as sign up for daily allergen reports via email from bureau website.

Another helpful tool is a free daily pollen count app from Pollen Sense, Gentile said.

While tracking pollen counts helps people reduce their exposure to allergens, allergy shots are the best way to treat and cure allergies, Gentile said.“Over the counter medication and steroid nasal sprays help, but allergy shots — immunotherapy — build immunity that, after months of treatment, cures you of your allergy,” Gentile said.Doctors gradually increase the dosage of weekly allergy shots so a patient's immune system builds up a tolerance to the allergen, she said.Weekly shots are administered for four months and then monthly for three years.“Three years (of treatment) cures allergies in 90 percent of people,” Gentile said.In addition to shots, Gentile said the U.S. Food & Drug Administration approved some oral treatments in which pills are taken for three years instead of vaccinations.

Babies can develop allergies to pets and dust mites before their first birthdays. As early as age 2, people can develop reactions to outdoor allergens like pollen, according to Gentile.Allergies typically affect 30 percent of a population, with children and adults being equally susceptible, she said.People with mild allergy symptoms can carry emergency kits containing over the county nasal spray, eye drops and antihistamines to reduce the impacts, she said.Dr. Jerome Scherer, a family physician with the Butler Health System, said this spring's wet weather made this allergy season one of the most severe in recent history.“This spring season has been one of the worst in the past 10 years. The pollen count has been very high. People who have not had allergy symptoms in the past are experiencing them for the first time,” Sherer said. “I think it's because of the wetness, the excessive rain we've had. It produces more pollen than usual.”The wet weather also is leading to growth of mold, which is another significant source of allergies, he said.

Most allergy cases Scherer treats are reactions to pollen. Symptoms include coughing, sneezing, runny nose, eye watering and itching.Starting daily doses of over the counter antihistamines such as Claritin and Allegra before allergy season hits can block the reaction to allergens like pollen, Scherer said.A person with a dog allergy should take an antihistamine before going somewhere where a dog will be present to reduce the symptoms, he said.People with severe allergic reactions can be prescribed a noninflammatory steroid for a short time, he said.Immunotherapy works “fairly well” for respiratory allergies, but not for asthma-related allergies, Scherer said.The best way for people to avoid allergy symptoms is to stay indoors with air conditioning, he said.“Avoidance is the primary way to take care of it. Air conditioning prevents you from inhaling allergens. We tell them to use air conditioning because it filters out pollen,” Scherer said.