HARSH ALLERGY SEASON FORECAST\Sufferers advised to take symptoms seriously.

Byline: Mike Schwartz Riverside Press-Enterprise

Allergy specialists predict the coming allergy season is going to be a bad one.

Heavy spring rains have resulted in lush green vegetation across Southern California, says Andrew Kress, vice president of Surveillance Data Inc., a Philadelphia-based company that tracks seasonal illnesses in 50 regions nationwide.

While the rains continue, pollen counts will rise sporadically but remain relatively low, says Dr. Susheela Bala, a San Bernardino allergist.

Bala explains that the dampness makes pollens too heavy to become airborne. But she expects that when the weather turns dry and hot, pollen will take to the winds, causing seasonal allergies to soar.

"I don't think this year will be as bad as three years ago, but it will be worse than last year," Bala says.

Because of the weather pattern, plants are blooming about two weeks earlier this year. Already doctors are seeing an increase in hay fever symptoms - sneezing, running noses, itchy eyes and postnasal drip.

About 317,000 people in Riverside, Los Angeles and Orange counties are experiencing allergy symptoms, says Kress. That's nearly half as many as were affected last year at this time. When the pollen season peaks in several weeks, as many as 1.1 million people could be affected.

"We expect allergy suffering to stay elevated until early to mid-May," Kress says.

Because the region's pollen seasons overlap, many sufferers have year-round allergies. During the current damp weather when people spend more time indoors, attacks often are triggered by mold, house dust mites and cockroaches, as well as dander and urine from pets.

Patients often trivialize seasonal allergies, says Dr. Sheldon L. Spector, director of the Allergy Research Foundation and clinical professor of medicine at UCLA School of Medicine.

"It's the Rodney Dangerfield of medicine. It gets no respect, but may cause more symptoms and complications than people realize," Spector says.

In addition to causing hay fever symptoms, seasonal allergies may interrupt sleep and cause a lack of concentration or other cognitive problems. Spector says ignoring symptoms also could lead to sinus and ear-canal infections.

Some seasonal allergy sufferers also experience a severe, hard-to-treat form of brittle asthma that sometimes can be life-threatening. The condition is termed "brittle" because it is unpredictable.

"Within a short time a sufferer can go from feeling well to lousy," said Dr. Athena Economides, an allergist and immunologist at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles.

Preventive or early treatment will decrease symptoms and make them much easier to treat, she says.

According to Economides, it's more important to know the types of pollens in the air than the pollen count.

She explains that more people have seasonal allergy trouble as the pollen count rises than when it reaches its peak and levels off. The reason is that a stronger reaction is triggered when the nose first gets introduced to increasing amounts of pollen than after it gets used to high pollen levels.

"You need to have a sense of what trees, grasses and other plants are around your home, workplace or school, as well as when they're pollinating," she says.

Trees such as olive, walnut, ash, mulberry, elm and flowering pear are now in bloom. These will be followed in April by Bermuda and other grasses, which will bloom for several months, then by weeds such as thistle, ragweed and tumbleweed from June through December.

According to Economides, the difference between a regular cold and an allergy can be very subtle. A cold may last for 10 days and produce clear nasal discharge. A clear runny nose and no other symptoms, such as persistent headache or fever, could mean you have an allergy. You may need to see a doctor if over-the-counter medication doesn't work.

If, however, the nasal discharge is yellow or green and accompanied by fever, fatigue and malaise after 10 to 14 days, you could have a sinus infection. Here, again, professional care may be needed.

Several new medications are on the market. These include Zyrtec, a nonsedating antihistamine, and steroid aerosol nasal sprays such as Flonase and Rhinocort, which prevent allergic reactions by coating nasal mucous membranes. A new nonsteroidal antihistamine spray, Atrovent, dries up stuffy noses.

Well-established medications include Nasalcrom, Vancenase and other steroidal nasal sprays.

Also popular are nonsedating antihistamines such as Seldane, Hismanal and Claritin, and sedating antihistamines that include Benadryl, Actifed and Tavist.

All allergy nasal sprays require a prescription, as do nonsedating antihistamines. Most of the sedating antihistamines, however, can be purchased without a prescription, Economides says.

Other allergy-season precautions include:

Keep pets outdoors as much as possible, or at least keep them out of the bedroom. Frequent washing of cats can help reduce allergy reactions to them.

Keep windows and doors closed. Rely on air conditioners and air filters instead of outside breezes for air circulation.

Avoid heavy exercise or outdoor gardening until after 10 a.m., when pollen counts start to decline.

Wear a pollen mask while mowing the lawn if you're allergic to grass.

Consider allergy shots if you suffer from year-round allergies. But if you get a reaction each year from just one type of tree in your neighborhood, allergy shots probably won't work well. The best alternative would be preventive medication such as Nasalcrom, Economides says.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist what allergy medicines are safe if you have a chronic condition such as high blood pressure or glaucoma. Some medications and medical conditions don't combine well with antihistamines.

Do not overuse topical over-the-counter decongestants such as Afrin or Neo-Synephrine. Used in excess, these can cause severe hay-feverlike symptoms.

There are no foolproof preventive measures, says Dr. Allen L. Schwandt, an allergist at Loma Linda University Medical Center. "We just have to try to fight the fires. Taking your antihistamines early helps some and staying undercover is the best anyone can do. I wish I had better news."