NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - A health alert for all of you dealing with allergies, a number of you are probably dealing with those right now as spring moves forward. The question is, how are things looking the rest of the season, and what do those with adult-onset allergies need to know when it comes to having an allergic reaction for the first time?

Western Mass News Spoke to an allergist and he shared his tips on how to look out for symptoms.

“It’s been a good one. ‘Good’ meaning that it’s been very busy. Bad for folks who are suffering with allergy symptoms,” it has been a long season so far for Dr. Jonathan Bayuk and his team at Allergy & Immunology Associates of New England.

At the Northampton office, they have seen a 10% increase in visits compared to this time last year. Among the symptoms they are witnessing from patients are asthma exacerbations, itchy eyes, runny nose, and sinus trouble. This past really cold winter brought enough water for the trees to rest, allowing to produce a lot of pollen when they wake up.

Dr. Bayuk told Western Mass News it is important for those with symptoms to keep track of what they are experiencing, especially if they have breathing problems, “when you add allergies on top of asthma and COPD, then you can really have exacerbations and people can get pretty sick. If you’re taking care of somebody that has those problems and just want to look out for them, make sure that they have their medicines. Make sure that they’re taken care of and getting watched.”

There is one type of allergy, though, that you may not hear about often, but is more common: adult-onset allergies. Those are symptoms, such as sneezing, that could develop at any point in your life.

Dr. Bayuk said a lot of older people, especially those who are in their sixties and seventies, who have never been allergic before come in. He believes the number of people with significant allergies was less than 5% when he was young. That number, he says, has since skyrocketed to more than 40%.

Dr. Bayuk also said those who experience new symptoms should get evaluated. There is also the idea of food allergies and how late they could show up. According to Dr. Bayuk, new food allergy developments are also common, particularly with fish, shellfish, tree nuts and peanuts.

There is also the question of if they could be related to allergy season itself. Dr. Bayuk said there is no direct connection, but those with a pollen allergy could develop something called oral allergy syndrome, “If you’re allergic to, say, birch pollen, apples, peaches, cherries and some other fruits and vegetables can be a problem. It could cause your mouth to itch, you could get an upset stomach, throat itching (and) ear itching.”

There is also ragweed pollen, if you are allergic to that, it could impact your ability to eat melons, bananas and kiwis. Oral allergy syndrome tends to be much worse during and right after pollen season. If you’re suspicious of a particular food, don’t eat it and get tested.

As allergy season rolls on, Dr. Bayuk’s tip: stay on guard, “keeping your windows closed if you have air conditioning (and) not putting a fan in the window and blowing it in (because that could blow pollen into your house).”

The other key piece of advice Dr. Bayuk has is you should see an allergist or your primary care provider as soon as possible should any allergic reaction get worse.