Tampa Bay among worst regions for pollen sufferers

Driving the news: The Lakeland, Sarasota and Tampa metro areas ranked high in the foundation's top 100 allergy capitals, at 20th, 28th and 29th, respectively.

• That's based on total pollen scores (tree, grass and weed), over-the-counter allergy medication use and the number of allergy specialists in the area.

State of play: Those cities, along with St. Petersburg and Clearwater, all had high or very high tree pollen counts Wednesday, driven by oak, alder and birch trees, per mypollenpal.com.

• The drought doesn't help, WUSF reported.

State of play: Allergy symptoms can include a runny nose, a stuffy nose, coughing, sneezing, watery eyes and nasal congestion.

• Newer antihistamines like Claritin, Allegra and Zyrtec offer relief without the drowsiness associated with older antihistamines like Benadryl.
• They can be combined with nasal steroid sprays like Flonase.
• You can also improve your allergy symptoms by changing the air filter in your home and showering after you've been outside, advises the Mayo Clinic.