Seasonal Allergies
Seasonal allergies, also called hay fever, happen when the immune system overreacts to airborne triggers like pollen, causing sneezing, a runny or stuffy nose, and itchy, watery eyes. They are common in both children and adults and flare at the same time each year. Most are managed with avoidance and over-the-counter medicine, with allergy treatment for stubborn cases.
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What are seasonal allergies?
Seasonal allergies, often called hay fever or allergic rhinitis, happen when your immune system treats a harmless airborne substance, usually pollen, as a threat. It releases chemicals like histamine to fight off the supposed invader, and those chemicals cause the familiar sneezing, congestion, and itchy eyes. About 1 in 4 U.S. adults deals with them, and they are common in children as well, often appearing in early childhood.
They are called seasonal because they track the pollen calendar: tree pollen in spring, grasses in late spring and summer, and weeds like ragweed in fall. Mold spores can flare in damp weather too. That timing is a big clue, and it is also what makes allergies easier to plan around than many other conditions.
What are the symptoms of seasonal allergies?
The most common symptoms affect the nose, eyes, and throat:
- Sneezing, often in bursts
- A runny or stuffy nose
- Itchy, watery, or red eyes
- An itchy nose, throat, or ears
- Postnasal drip with a scratchy throat or cough
- Feeling tired or foggy
Symptoms usually show up soon after you are around your trigger and stick around as long as the exposure lasts. One of the most common questions is whether it is allergies or a cold, since they can feel similar:
| Clue | Seasonal allergies | Common cold |
|---|---|---|
| How it starts | Quickly, when you are around a trigger | Gradually, over a day or two |
| How long it lasts | Weeks, as long as you are exposed | About 7 to 10 days |
| Itchy, watery eyes | Common | Uncommon |
| Fever or body aches | No | Sometimes |
| Timing | Same time each year, with the season | Any time, more in colder months |
If symptoms come back like clockwork each year, allergies are the likely answer.
In children, allergies can be easy to mistake for frequent colds. Telltale signs which parents may notice include rubbing the nose upward (the “allergic salute”), dark circles under the eyes, mouth breathing or snoring, throat clearing, and being tired or unfocused at school. Allergies can also disrupt a child’s sleep. There is more on spotting and managing children’s allergies below.
What causes seasonal allergies?
Seasonal allergies are caused by an overactive immune response to airborne allergens. The usual triggers follow the seasons:
- Tree pollen, mainly in early spring
- Grass pollen, in late spring and summer
- Weed pollen, especially ragweed, in late summer and fall
- Mold spores, which rise in damp or humid conditions
You are more likely to develop allergies if they run in your family or if you have other allergic conditions like asthma or eczema. In children especially, these often go together (sometimes called the allergic march), so it is worth mentioning all of them to a provider. Exposure matters too, which is why symptoms can change when you move or when pollen counts spike.
How are seasonal allergies diagnosed?
Seasonal allergies are usually diagnosed from your symptoms and their timing, without any tests. A provider will ask what your symptoms are, when they happen, and what seems to set them off, and the seasonal pattern often makes the diagnosis clear. For a child, the provider will also want to know how symptoms affect sleep, school, and play.
When it is not clear, or when you are weighing long-term treatment, allergy testing can pinpoint exactly what you react to. A skin-prick test or a blood test, usually done by an allergist, checks your response to specific pollens and other allergens, and is available for children as well as adults.
How are seasonal allergies treated?
Most seasonal allergies are well controlled with a mix of avoiding triggers and over-the-counter medicine, and stubborn cases have specialist options. The goal is simple: enough relief to get through the season comfortably.
Reducing your exposure
- Checking daily pollen counts and limiting time outside when they are high
- Keeping windows closed and using air conditioning during peak season
- Showering and changing clothes after being outdoors
- Rinsing your nose with saline to clear out pollen
Over-the-counter medicine
Non-drowsy antihistamines, such as cetirizine, loratadine, and fexofenadine, relieve sneezing, itching, and a runny nose. Steroid nasal sprays work best for congestion, though they take a few days of regular use to kick in. Antihistamine eye drops help itchy, watery eyes. Decongestants can help short term but are not meant for long stretches. Many of these medicines come in children’s versions dosed by age, so check with your pediatrician or pharmacist for a child, and avoid adult decongestants in young children.
Specialist treatment
When symptoms do not respond, an allergist can offer immunotherapy: allergy shots or under-the-tongue tablets that gradually lower your sensitivity to triggers over time. It is the closest thing to a long-term fix and can reduce or even end the need for daily medicine, and it is an option for many children as well as adults.
Seasonal allergies in children
Seasonal allergies are very common in kids and often start in early childhood. Because children do not always describe their symptoms, allergies in kids can look like a cold that never quite goes away, or show up as poor sleep, irritability, or trouble focusing at school. They also often travel with asthma and eczema, so it helps to mention all of these to your child’s provider.
Signs to watch for in kids
- Sneezing, sniffling, or a runny or stuffy nose that lasts for weeks during pollen season
- Itchy, watery eyes, or dark circles under the eyes (sometimes called allergic shiners)
- Rubbing the nose upward with the palm (the “allergic salute”)
- Mouth breathing, snoring, or frequent throat clearing
- Being tired, cranky, or unfocused, especially if sleep is disrupted
What parents can do
- Cut down on exposure: keep windows closed on high-pollen days, have kids shower and change clothes after outdoor play, and wash bedding often
- Check pollen counts and plan outdoor time for lower-pollen parts of the day
- Use saline sprays or rinses to clear little noses
- Ask your pediatrician or pharmacist about kid-appropriate allergy medicines; many non-drowsy antihistamines come in children’s versions dosed by age, and some nasal sprays are approved for children, but avoid adult decongestants in young kids
- Let teachers, coaches, and caregivers know, so they can help
Working with your pediatrician
Your child’s pediatrician can confirm that symptoms are allergies (not a lingering cold or something else), recommend the right medicine and dose for your child’s age, and build a simple seasonal plan. If symptoms are hard to control, last year-round, or come with asthma, the pediatrician can refer you to a pediatric allergist for testing and treatments like allergy shots, or to ENT for ongoing sinus or nasal issues. Treating allergies often helps a child’s sleep, focus, and asthma too.
How can you stay ahead of seasonal allergies?
The best results come from getting in front of the season rather than reacting once symptoms hit. Many people start their antihistamine or nasal spray a week or two before their trigger season begins, which keeps symptoms from ramping up; the same head start helps kids. Tracking pollen counts, keeping windows shut on high-pollen days, and showering after time outdoors all cut down how much allergen you bring inside. Year to year, a quick check-in with your provider or pediatrician can fine-tune the plan as triggers or symptoms change.
When should I see a doctor?
Match what you do to how your symptoms are behaving:
Start with self-care
For mild, familiar symptoms, over-the-counter antihistamines, a steroid nasal spray, saline rinses, and limiting exposure are usually enough. Many people, including kids, manage well without ever needing a visit.
See a provider
Make an appointment, in person or by video, if over-the-counter medicine is not controlling symptoms, they are dragging on for weeks or disrupting sleep and daily life, you keep getting sinus infections, or you want testing and longer-term options. A primary care provider, or your child’s pediatrician, can help and refer you to a specialist if needed.
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Get emergency care
Seasonal pollen rarely causes a severe reaction, but a few breathing-related symptoms are emergencies. Call 911 or go to the nearest ER for any of these:
Signs of a severe reaction (call 911)
- Trouble breathing or wheezing that will not ease
- Swelling of the lips, tongue, or throat
- Tightness in the chest or trouble swallowing
- Dizziness, fainting, or a sense that something is very wrong
If you or your child has asthma and allergies are making it hard to breathe, treat that as urgent too.
Who treats seasonal allergies?
Most seasonal allergies are handled by a primary care provider, and for children, that is usually the pediatrician. Pediatric, internal medicine, and family medicine physicians, with the nurse practitioners and physician assistants on their teams, diagnose hay fever from your symptoms, recommend the right medications, and manage it season to season, which is all many people need.
For allergies that are hard to control, an allergist (a doctor in allergy and immunology) can do testing to pinpoint your triggers and offer treatments like allergy shots that lower your sensitivity over time, for children and adults alike. An ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist may help when allergies come with ongoing sinus problems, nasal blockage, or other issues that affect breathing.
Typically, the providers involved are:
- Primary care, including pediatrics, internal medicine, and family medicine, for diagnosis and everyday management
- Nurse practitioners and physician assistants, for treatment and follow-up
- Allergy & Immunology, including pediatric allergists, for testing and long-term treatments like immunotherapy
- ENT (ear, nose, and throat), for ongoing sinus or nasal problems
Your primary care provider or pediatrician usually starts the plan and brings in an allergist or ENT specialist when symptoms are stubborn or testing would help.
Frequently asked questions
How can I tell if it’s allergies or a cold?
A few clues help. Allergies usually bring itchy, watery eyes and never a fever, and they tend to flare at the same time each year when you are around triggers. A cold often comes with a fever or body aches, builds over a day or two, and clears within about a week to ten days. When symptoms drag on for weeks during pollen season, allergies are the more likely cause. This is a common puzzle with kids, whose allergies can look like back-to-back colds.
How do I know if my child has seasonal allergies, and what can I give them?
In kids, seasonal allergies often look like a cold that keeps returning at the same time each year, without a fever, along with itchy eyes, sniffling, or an upward nose rub. Many children’s allergy medicines (non-drowsy antihistamines, and some nasal sprays) are made for specific ages and dosed by age or weight, so check with your pediatrician or pharmacist first, and avoid adult decongestants in young children. Your pediatrician can confirm it is allergies and set up a plan.
Can seasonal allergies cause a sore throat, cough, or fatigue?
Yes. Postnasal drip, where mucus runs down the back of your throat, can cause a scratchy throat and a nagging cough, especially at night. Allergies can also leave you feeling tired and foggy, partly from disrupted sleep and partly from your body’s immune response. These are common and usually ease once your allergies are treated, and the same is true for children.
What’s the fastest way to get allergy relief?
Non-drowsy antihistamines like cetirizine, loratadine, or fexofenadine start working within a few hours and are a good first step. For congestion, a steroid nasal spray works best, though it takes a few days of regular use to reach full effect, so starting it before peak season helps. Saline rinses and staying inside on high-pollen days add quick relief.
Can you develop seasonal allergies as an adult?
Yes. While many people first notice allergies in childhood, they can appear at any age, sometimes after moving somewhere with different pollens. They can also fade or shift over time. New or worsening symptoms are worth mentioning to a provider, who can confirm it is allergies and rule out other causes.
Do allergy shots really work?
For many people, yes. Allergy shots, a form of immunotherapy, gradually train your immune system to react less to your triggers, and they can meaningfully reduce symptoms over time, sometimes lasting well after treatment ends. Under-the-tongue tablets are another option for certain allergies, and immunotherapy is available for many children too. An allergist can tell you whether it is a good fit.
Where can I get treatment for seasonal allergies in Chicagoland?
Duly Health and Care primary care providers and pediatricians across the Chicago suburbs can diagnose seasonal allergies and start treatment, and can refer you to Duly Allergy & Immunology for testing or allergy shots, or to ENT for ongoing sinus issues. You can book a visit online, and video visits work well for getting a plan in place before allergy season.
Care at Duly Health and Care
Seasonal allergies are common and very manageable, and no one, child or adult, has to suffer their way through pollen season. Duly primary care providers and pediatricians can confirm what you or your child are reacting to, recommend the right medications, and help you get ahead of symptoms before the season peaks. When allergies are hard to control, they will connect you with Duly Allergy & Immunology for testing and allergy shots, or ENT for sinus and nasal concerns, keeping your care coordinated.
With primary care, pediatrics, allergy, and ENT expertise across the Chicago suburbs, plus video visits to plan ahead, relief is close to home for the whole family.
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Medically reviewed by Duly Health and Care pediatrician, Brett Hurliman, MD — Last reviewed June 2026.