What is cedar fever and what can you do about it?

Austin, Texas – Many of us have enjoyed warm weather the past couple of weeks, but for allergy sufferers, it’s a slightly different story, especially when it comes to cedar.

Recently, many Central Texas residents have been struggling with cedar fever. Although it is flu season, cedar fever is neither flu nor a virus. This is an allergic reaction to the pollen of mountain cedars. Ash juniper is the dominant species of mountain cedar in Texas.

READ MORE: Cedar Fever Season in Texas: What are the Symptoms of Cedar Fever?

Austin allergist Dr. Ron Cox of Greater Austin Allergy talks to John Krinjak of FOX 7 Austin to talk more about cedar fever and what to do about it.

JOHN KRINCJAK: So, I want to start with what is cedar fever? And why does it flare up in so many people right now?

RON COX: Well, cedar fever comes from juniper trees, which are kind of unique to the Central Texas area, and what’s interesting is that pollination occurs in December, January, and February, while everything else happens mostly in the spring as far as the trees are concerned. . And the problem is that we have beautiful weather now, and people are not advised to go out, because they are knocked down by cedar fever. So, it’s a pollen unique to this area that causes all sorts of symptoms like itching, runny nose, sneezing, but also causes congestion and a little fatigue. The uniqueness of cedar is that it can also cause fever.

JOHN KRINCJAK: What can people do to treat or at least alleviate symptoms?

RON COX: So one of the most important things you can do is stay at home. But no one wants to do this, and you have to leave when it’s so beautiful around. So you can go somewhere later in the evening. You can use a saline rinse to flush out any pollen from your sinuses after a long absence. You can also use Sistan Ultra to flush your eyes. In this way, you can do a lot as far as prevention measures are concerned. And then you can treat with medication if that doesn’t work for you.

JOHN KRINCJAK: Is it true that over time you can develop an allergy to cedar? How it works?

RON COX: So it’s not uncommon for people to move to Austin, the first couple of years they’re like, “No, I’m golden.” I don’t have any problems with cedar at all.” but then your body processes it and decides it doesn’t like it and it creates an antibody that the next time you see it creates all the allergy symptoms you have. So an allergy to cedar often develops after three to five years of being here.

Dr. Cox says that given the recent spread of the “triple demic”, it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish cedar fever from a viral infection such as COVID, influenza or RSV. Cox recommends using this table from the National Children’s Hospital to compare the specific symptoms of each disease.

Symptoms of cedar fever, similar to COVID-19, a cold or the flu, include fatigue, sore throat, runny nose, partial loss of smell, and mild fever. However, a fever reaching over 101.5°F may be due to something other than cedar fever.

Symptoms regarding cedar fever Only include itching, watery eyes, nasal congestion, and sneezing. One way to distinguish an allergy from a disease is the color of the mucosa, as cedar fever causes a clear and runny mucosa, while other infections result in a thicker, more colored mucosa.