Allergist and immunologist Florence Ida Hsu often approaches her work like a detective would.
"I spend a lot of time asking patient questions regarding not just what their symptoms are but what led up to the symptoms, the nature of the symptoms, the severity, the timing, and their response to therapies," said Hsu, assistant professor of clinical medicine and training program director for the Allergy & Immunology Fellowship at Yale School of Medicine.
For Hsu, these pieces of information offer clues in the quest for an answer - whether it ultimately leads her to diagnosing food or environmental allergies, or in some cases, a non-allergic cause.
This time of year, Hsu is especially busy helping patients navigate seasonal allergies. With spring approaching, that means sneezing, coughing, congestion, and itchy, watery eyes for a lot of people.
In an interview, Hsu explains what to expect this allergy season, why certain people suffer more than others, and what treatments are available.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What should people expect this spring allergy season?
Florence Ida Hsu: I'm not sure how this spring will compare with previous seasons. We definitely had a colder winter than usual, but there's also been plenty of precipitation. In general, warmer temperatures and precipitation do promote increased pollen generation. But there's obviously variability season to season, so it's honestly hard to predict.
What happens to the body for those with allergies during allergy season? How does pollen impact our health?
Hsu: Pollen by itself is innocuous, but our body sometimes views it as something that needs to be expelled. Some people develop antibodies called immunoglobulin E [IgE] against pollens if they are susceptible to developing allergies, after certain patterns of exposure. When someone has IgE to pollen and pollen comes into their airway, eyes, or nasal or ocular tissues, it triggers the release of histamine, which then causes symptoms.
