Panama City Reporter

• The 26th annual Allergy & Asthma Day Capitol Hill will take place in Washington, D.C., on May 3.
• People with allergies and asthma will have the opportunity to meet with lawmakers.
• The event is free, but registration is required.

The 26th annual Allergy & Asthma Day Capitol Hill will be held May 3 in Washington, D.C., where people who suffer from allergies or asthma can meet with lawmakers and share their stories. People who participate will be able to ask lawmakers to support related legislation and learn about the latest research and what impact it can have on public health policy, according to the Allergy & Asthma Network.

The schedule for attendees will include an advocacy training breakfast, in-person advocacy meetings with members of Congress and their staff, and a lunch briefing with members of the Congressional Asthma & Allergy Caucus. Allergists and federal agency representatives will also take part in the lunch briefing. Participation is free, but attendees must register.

Dr. Matthew Blair of Gulf Coast Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers explained that people with allergies who also have a deviated septum or narrow sinuses are at risk of experiencing chronic sinus infections.

"Allergies are a condition where your body reacts to an allergen in the environment, especially in your nose. Your nose is covered with a mucous membrane similar to your mouth," Blair told the Panama City Reporter. "And there's cells within your nose called mast cells, and they release something called histamine. Histamine is what gives you this overall reaction of itchy eyes, itchy nose, sneezing, clear watery mucus, stuffiness, just that general uncomfortable feeling that you may get. It also causes swelling in the tissues in the nose, and they can block openings to the sinuses if you're a chronic allergy sufferer."

More than 50 million Americans suffer from allergies, and allergies are the sixth-most-common cause of chronic illness in the U.S., according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Allergic rhinitis, also known as hay fever, can be either seasonal or perennial and can cause sneezing, a stuffy or runny nose, watery eyes and an itchy nose, eyes or mouth.

Allergy symptoms, such as itchy eyes, can be caused by inflammation, which is a result of the body's attempt to protect itself from allergens, according to MBG Health. When someone is exposed to an allergen, the body's natural stress response is to secrete hormones like cortisol and chemicals like histamine, but studies have shown that those secretions can lead to inflammation, which in turn makes allergy symptoms and asthma even worse.

If you're interested in learning more about the symptoms of sinusitis and allergies, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.