Spring allergy season just around the corner

• "My allergies are seasonal," says Karen Kitchen, 52, a health educator for a Fresno insurance company.
• "It's real frustrating," says Julie Tymn, 38, of Fresno, the mother of two young daughters who also have allergies.
• They are among the estimated 20 to 25 percent of Americans whose immune systems overreact to common substances that don't bother most people.
• Part of the problem rests with the valley's poor air quality, abundant foliage and warm weather, which make it difficult to escape the allergens that cause all the sniffling, sneezing, itching and coughing.
• "Except for a couple of months in the winter, there are trees pollinating year-round in the valley," says Malik Baz, medical director of the Baz Allergy, Asthma and Sinus Center in Fresno.
• Abundant rainfall means more pollen-producing grass and weeds.
• Allergies occur when the immune system responds aggressively to things that are ordinarily harmless, says A.M. Aminian, medical director of the Allergy Institute in Fresno and the former national public information chairman for the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
• These chemicals, which include histamine, are what cause the sneezing, runny nose and itchy eyes common to many allergic reactions.
• Although symptoms usually can be controlled with over-the-counter or prescription drugs, Aminian says allergies never should be taken lightly.
• "I have to make sure I've got my medication and nasal spray.
• "If I catch my symptoms early enough, I can control them," she says.
• Pay attention to the air quality forecast from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, which is published on the back page of The Bee's Local News section, and try not to be outdoors noon to 6 p.m. on days when the air quality is unhealthy.
• Immunotherapy produces good results in 85 to 90 percent of patients, says Aminian.