Click play to listen to this article.

With warming temperatures, allergy season is underway in Colorado and experts are offering tips on how to cope with congestion, inflammation and other symptoms.

Dr. Levi Keller, allergist and immunologist at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, said there are a number of ways to limit and manage your exposure to pollen or mold, from air filters that remove particulates from indoor air, to over the counter medicines. He added a changing climate is bringing earlier spring conditions and later autumn freezes.

Image

"Allergy seasons are getting worse," Keller reported. "Here in Colorado, our pollen season is extending, on average 14 days longer than what it has been historically."

Most pharmacy aisles in grocery and drugstores offer sterile saline nasal sprays and rinses, which can offer relief. Antihistamines like cetirizine or loratadine, better known by brand names Zyrtec and Claritin, can help manage symptoms. People who experience intense and persistent reactions can also tap specialists in immunotherapy, which helps change the body's immune response to allergens.

More than 60 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and nearly one in five children report having a seasonal allergy.

Dr. Gregory Carnevale, chief medical officer for UnitedHealthcare, said one of the best ways to prevent allergies is modifying time outdoors.

"If you know what you're allergic to, you can avoid the times when the allergy counts are the highest; you can stay inside," Carnevale suggested. "You can wear a mask if you have exposure."

Keller noted another way to keep pollen out of your home is to rub down pets, which can carry allergens on their coats, with a damp towel when they come inside.

"We have a lot of four-legged friends, particularly our dogs that go in and out," Keller observed. "They can be allergen factories, particularly grass season, which is around May, June, July here in Colorado."