Fall is the time for football games, sweaters, cookouts and, for those with allergies, suffering.

Allergies are characterized by sneezing and itchy eyes, ears, throat, and nose, said allergist Dr. Peter Baum.

Sufferers can minimize symptoms in a variety of ways.

Avoiding contact with allergens is the ideal prevention, Baum said.

Pat Musto, a nurse practitioner at Oak Brook Allergists, said the ragweed pollen counts are very high right now, and the mold count has also been very high because of the heavy rains in late June.

Therefore, her advice is to stay in the air conditioning and keep windows closed, especially at night.

Students with allergies can obtain a letter from their primary care physician or allergist requesting a residence hall with air conditioning.

She also suggested washing hair and changing clothes before bed, because pollen can attach to each.

For those who need more than simple environmental controls, non-sedative, over-the-counter antihistimines are available to relieve itchy symptoms and sneezing, Baum said.

If these do not suffice, physicians may prescribe medications or nose sprays. Allergy shots, which increase immunity to specific allergies, also are available.

Skin tests, which are done before shots are administered, can determine specifically what it is a patient is allergic to, he said.

The DeKalb Clinic serves as a Certified Pollen Count Station and reports pollen count information to The Weather Channel, the National Allergy Bureau and local radio stations, Baum said. The clinic, as a result, has very current allergen information.

Direct symptoms are not the only woe of allergy sufferers.

If allergies are not treated, indirect costs begin to build as days from work or school are lost and other problems, such as asthma and sinus infections, develop and need to be treated, Musto said.

Sometimes allergies can lead to short tempers, poor concentration and even driving impairment, she said.

People who are allergic to weed pollens and mold spores have about a month or so of misery left.

The first hard frost, which is typically in mid-October, will decrease the mold and pollen count, Baum said.

Suddenly, those cool nights don’t seem so bad.