Of these, about 10 million have symptoms 9 months of the year. More children than ever before have allergies. In fact, children miss 2 million school days a year because of allergies and almost one of every three of their healthcare office visits are for treatment of allergy symptoms. The typical allergy symptoms are sneezing, a stuffy or runny nose, watery eyes, a dry cough, and itching. Some people with allergies also suffer from sleep disturbances, upset stomachs, rashes, hives, and other problems.
Folk wisdom says that allergies are seasonal.
But folk wisdom is wrong. A person with allergies can have symptoms all year long in reaction to dust mites, dander, and other allergy triggers. Allergy symptoms can get much worse as pollen levels rise during the spring when the trees and flowers are beginning to bloom, in the summer when the grass and weeds grow rapidly, and in the fall when dry leaves are on the ground. The mold that grows on wet leaves also makes allergy symptoms worse during the fall. No one is certain why one person will have an allergic reaction to something and another person won't.