PHX Reporter

Spring is here and sinus inflammation suffers know that brings on a worsening of their allergies and other conditions.

The first day of spring, the year's first equinox, was Sunday, March 20 with spring-like weather often preceding the official start of the post-winter season. The season also brings on more coughing, sneezing, watery eyes and other seasonal allergy symptoms but at times it's not just allergies.

When it's something more, there's treatment available, Diana Ruiloba, an Arizona Breathe Free Sinus and Allergy Centers physician assistant who specializes in Ear, Nose, & Throat (ENT) conditions, told PHX Reporter.

"Allergies can be a constant struggle, especially out here in the Arizona desert and mountains," Ruiloba said.

Arizona Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers is located in Scottsdale.

Spring-like weather in Arizona is often something of a relative thing but can be generally reckoned to arrive by March, according to Weather Spark. In 2015, KOLD in Tucson told readers and viewers that Arizona – a popular place to get away from allergies – doesn't have much tree and grass pollen but is rife with two very common allergens, ragweed and dust. In a news story last year, AzCentral reminded area residents that infrequent rains reduces the amount of pollen in the air but, in the drier mean time, warm and dry are perfect conditions for allergens to remain in the air.

Seasonal aggravations of sinus conditions can begin even before spring weather arrives. Tree pollen, the usual suspect in sinus inflammation and other symptoms, can start up in January in some parts of the U.S., according to information from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA)'s website.

Some trees emit pollen until it's almost summer, which means so-called "spring allergies" such as sinus inflammation, sneezing, congestion and itchy, watery eyes, can last for month.

AAFA also reports that additional sinus and allergy triggers from grass and ragweed pollens also come with spring-like weather, particularly on cool nights and warmer days. As spring progresses, so does the risk of those triggers, depending on the weather. Weather favorable to plants generally also favors increased pollen emissions.

Pollen emitters such as grass pollen and flowers, including the cholla and prickly pears that bloom in Arizona most every year, also can worsen seasonal allergic rhinitis.

Patients with compounded problems of narrow sinuses and allergies have treatment options, including balloon sinuplasty. After allergies are ruled out, a specialist may recommend balloon sinuplasty to treat narrow sinuses or structural problems. 

Anyone wondering whether their symptoms amount to a sinus condition may take Arizona Breathe Free Sinus and Allergy Centers' online quiz to find out.