Seasonal Allergies – Causes

Transcript

Seasonal allergies are caused by various environmental triggers that your body has determined to be dangerous for it, even if they may not actually be. These triggers can be different depending on the season. For example, tree pollen in the spring, various grasses in the summer, ragweed in the fall, and mold and dust in the winter. When your immune system identifies a harmless airborne substance as harmful, it begins producing antibodies against the foreign substance. These antibodies signal your immune system to release chemicals, such as histamine, into your bloodstream, which causes the allergy symptoms. There are some risk factors for seasonal allergies that can include things such as pre-existing allergies or asthma, eczema, having a blood relative that has allergies, living or working in an environment that exposes you to certain types of allergens like dust, and having a mother who smoked cigarettes up until you were about one year old.