AARP Hearing Center
Spring is in full swing, and unfortunately, so is allergy season, thanks to the bounty of budding trees and blooming bushes.
If you think you’re immune to the sneezing and itching that go hand-in-hand with seasonal allergies, think again, says Neeta Ogden, M.D., an allergist and spokesperson for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA). “With warmer climates and longer seasons, seasonal allergies, like pollen allergy, are occurring in adults who never experienced them before. So don’t be surprised if they strike you for the first time,” Ogden says.
And while seasonal allergy triggers may be top of mind this time of year, they aren’t the only ones that lead to suffering. Common, everyday items can cause allergies to flare — take, for example, pet dander and dust mites. Here are four additional allergy aggravators to watch out for.
1. Wine and beer
Whether it’s a day trip to a winery or a casual gathering with friends, if you’re sensitive to sulfites, what’s in those glasses — the wine or beer — might not be worth it.
For some people with a sulfite sensitivity, “drinking wine can cause breathing symptoms similar to asthma, with wheezing and shortness of breath,” says Jennifer Namazy, M.D., an allergist and immunologist at Scripps Clinic Medical Group in San Diego. “Other times, wine may cause skin rashes in those patients.”
In very rare cases, a sulfite sensitivity can progress into a life-threatening reaction, such as with asthma or anaphylaxis (throat swelling, trouble breathing, etc.), which requires immediate medical attention and, if used quickly and correctly, an epinephrine auto-injector, such as an EpiPen.
A sensitivity to sulfites appears to be more common among people with asthma, affecting an estimated 5 to 10 percent of people with the condition. It affects about 1 percent of people who don’t have a history of asthma.
And it’s not just wine and beer: Many processed foods contain sulfites: some canned and dried fruits, deli meats, hot dogs, dressings, tomato paste, granola bars, vinegar and much, much more.
A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rule mandates that any food or beverage that contains sulfites above a certain level (10 parts per million) declare it on the label or under the ingredient list. (Sulfite sensitivity? Look out for these ingredients: potassium bisulfite, sodium bisulfite, sodium sulfite and sulfur dioxide.)