Recommendations for allergy and asthma sufferers and coronavirus
Amidst the panic revolving around the coronavirus pandemic, the infamous allergy season has arrived making it impossible to sneeze without becoming a victim of the death stare. Despite allergies, the season of blossoming trees, chirping birds and longer days is usually an indicator that summer is underway but not this year... This year blossoming trees have become a symbol of how nature can go on without us human beings, the chirping birds have become a symbol of the lack of noise pollution and how nature is finally coming back to its natural habitats and longer days are giving people hope and a boost in their mental health as the global pandemic continues to unfold.
In view of this situation and the difficulty these patients may have in differentiating between classic allergy symptoms and those of the new coronavirus, the Spanish Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (SEAIC) has explained how COVID-19 affects allergy patients and urges them to follow the general recommendations of the Ministry of Health. Allergy sufferers are no longer likely to contract the disease.
"We must not confuse the symptoms of an allergy or a cold with the known symptoms of coronavirus," said Dr. Pedro Ojeda, head of Communication of the SEAIC. If you suspect that you have an allergy, especially pollen allergies, then keep an eye on your symptoms. If the symptoms become aggravated when the patient is outdoors and improve significantly when he or she remains indoors then this is an allergy. In addition, symptoms of allergic rhinitis usually subside fairly quickly after taking topical or oral antihistamines and there should be no fever unless it has been complicated by acute sinusitis.
"The data we have, at the moment, on the disease does not seem to indicate that being allergic makes you more susceptible to the coronavirus infection. In fact, the immune system of an allergic person works like that of a non-allergic person, with respect to its defence function against microorganisms," Ojeda notes.
The state of alarm declared in Spain on March 14, which prohibits going out to the street except to go to the doctor, to work, to take care of those who need it, to buy basic necessities and to take the dog out to do strictly his physiological needs, will benefit allergic patients because it will considerably reduce their exposure to pollens. According to the SEAIC, allergy sufferers will need to use less allergy medication but insist that they must "comply with their asthma medication. In addition, this needs to be complemented by measures to reduce indoor pollen levels.”
The recommendations for reducing indoor pollen levels are as follows:
- Houses should not be ventilated between noon and 5 p.m. because these are the hours with the highest amount of pollen in the atmosphere, due to the increase in light and temperature.
- The use of air purifiers in homes can also contribute to reducing exposure to pollen indoors.
In the midst of the new coronavirus pandemic, in Spain, we are also experiencing the dreaded period of allergies. Although with climate change and the alteration of the cycles in which trees bloom, is extended even before spring, is now when it begins to hit allergy sufferers hardest.
In view of this situation and the difficulty these patients may have in differentiating between classic allergy symptoms and those of the new coronavirus, the Spanish Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (SEAIC) has explained how COVID-19 affects allergy patients and urges them to follow the general recommendations of the Ministry of Health. Allergy sufferers are no longer likely to contract the disease.
"We must not confuse the symptoms of allergy, cold and the known symptoms of coronavirus," said Dr. Pedro Ojeda, head of Communication of the SEAIC. What should make us suspect that it is allergy, especially if it is due to pollens, is that the symptoms will be exacerbated when the patient is outdoors and will improve significantly when he or she remains indoors. In addition, symptoms of allergic rhinitis usually subside fairly quickly after taking topical or oral antihistamines and there is no fever unless complicated by acute sinusitis.
"The data we have at the moment on the disease do not seem to indicate that being allergic carries a greater risk of coronavirus infection. In fact, the immune system of an allergic person works like that of a non-allergic person with respect to its defense function against microorganisms," Ojeda notes.
The state of alarm declared in our country last March 14, which prohibits going out to the street except to go to the doctor, to work, to take care of those who need it, to buy basic necessities and to take the dog out to do strictly his physiological needs, will benefit allergic patients because it will considerably reduce their exposure to pollens. According to the SEAIC, allergy sufferers will need to use less allergy medication but insist that they must "comply with their asthma medication. In addition, this needs to be complemented by measures to reduce indoor pollen levels.
The recommendations for reducing indoor pollen levels are as follows:
- Houses should not be ventilated between 12 noon and 5 p.m. because these are the hours with the highest amount of pollens in the atmosphere, due to the increase in light and temperature.
- The use of air purifiers in homes can also contribute to reducing exposure to pollens indoors.
The SEAIC also points out that mobility restrictions will reduce the pollution produced by diesel vehicles as well as other industrial emissions, which are responsible for the aggravation of allergic symptoms in large cities.
People with asthma, on the other hand, must take extreme precautionary measures. The reason for this is that their airways are more susceptible to infections, especially viral ones, and let's remember that COVID-19 is a virus. If an asthmatic suffers a respiratory infection, the inflammation of their bronchial tubes will be greater than that of a non-asthmatic person, increasing the possibility of bronchial hyperreactivity and a greater risk of asthma attacks.
"The coronavirus has a special predilection for the lungs and could induce a greater degree of inflammation in the airways, a greater risk of asthma attacks and, possibly, greater severity of the COVID-19 infection," says Dr. Ángel Moral, president of the SEAIC's Aerobiology Committee.
"Doing the treatment irregularly or stopping it because we are feeling well can contribute to the inflammation of the bronchi starting to get out of control, even if the patient does not realize it initially. This mild inflammation can make the bronchi more susceptible to respiratory infections," warns Dr. Moral.
Therefore, without this leading to a situation of panic, asthmatics should be especially disciplined with general measures to prevent infection by the new coronavirus: frequent hand washing with soap and water, avoid interpersonal relationships, contact with people who have symptoms of respiratory infection (however mild) and use a mask if they need to frequent higher risk areas such as health centres or emergencies.
Differences between an allergy, a cold and the coronavirus infection
According to the SEAIC, the main difference is in the type of symptoms and their course.
The symptoms of allergic rhinitis are mainly itchy noses, often associated with itchy eyes, repeated sneezing, watery nasal distillation (typical of watery eyes) and more or less severe nasal congestion.
We will know that it is an allergy, especially produced by pollens because the symptoms will be intensified when the person is outdoors and will improve greatly when he or she is indoors. In addition, the symptoms of allergic rhinitis often disappear somewhat quickly after taking topical or oral antihistamines. There is no fever unless complicated by acute sinusitis.
In asthma, isolated symptoms may include a dry cough and difficulty in breathing, which may be confused with the early symptoms of the new coronavirus infection, although in asthma there is also no reason for a fever. Along the same lines, asthma symptoms are usually easily reversed with the use of the rescue bronchodilator (salbutamol or terbutaline).
In the case of a cold, the symptoms can start like those of rhinitis: with nasal congestion, nasal watering and sometimes sneezing. In general, they increase in intensity in the space of 1 to 3 days and the mucus evolves into thick, greenish-yellowish mucus. It progressively resolves in the space of 3-4 more days, so in about 6-7 days it would be resolved if it were not complicated by sinusitis. In addition, if it is not a more intense cold there is usually no high fever. Fever may appear and be accompanied by some general malaise.
In the case of the new coronavirus, data have shown that the symptoms may be mild (similar to a mild cold) and more usually with flu-like symptoms: moderate to intense fever, malaise and depression, the cough usually dry, and may associate phlegm and difficulty breathing. The symptoms are progressive, and from the beginning of its presentation and usually associated with the feeling of general malaise, as when we started with the flu.
