Exploring the Interplay of Spring Allergies, Inflammation, and Mental Health: Gary Falcetano, PA-C, AE-C

Gary Falcetano, PA-C, AE-C, US Scientific Affairs Manager for Allergy at Thermo Fisher Scientific, discussed the relationship between seasonal allergies and mental health, particularly spring-onset seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

Falcetano explained that while SAD is typically associated with winter, there is also a less common but significant spring-onset SAD. He emphasized the need to better understand how allergic diseases, which affect hundreds of millions globally, impact not just obvious target organs but also the brain.

This transcript was lightly edited for clarity; captions were auto-generated.

Transcript

Considering the prevalence of spring pollen, how might the immunological response to allergens contribute to or even trigger symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in susceptible individuals?

We don't typically think of seasonal affective disorder being a spring or a summer type disorder. We equate it with winter, decreased light, those type of issues, but there is actually [spring onset of SAD]. It's a little less frequently occurring than the winter-onset SAD, but it's certainly an issue.

I think some of the theories as to why it affects us in the summer and spring, probably the main theory is centered around the body's biological clock disruption, especially when we change times, and we have differences in light/dark periods.

Of course, we just talked about the effects of inflammation on the brain. I think when we look at springtime as being the time of year that’s one of the most difficult seasons for people with environmental allergies, it would not be unreasonable to attribute some of that spring-onset SAD or seasonal affective disorder, at least in part, to the spring allergy season.

What research gaps or clinical initiatives do you believe are most critical to further elucidate and address the complex interplay between allergic disease and mental health?

I think we really need to understand this whole concept a lot better. For diseases in general, and especially allergic disease in particular, they affect hundreds of millions of patients worldwide. From a research perspective, I think we need to expand our understanding of how they affect not just the target organs that are obvious, the skin, the upper and lower airways, but also, as we've discussed today, the brain.

Ideally, a greater collaboration and initiatives between neurobiology, psychiatry, immunology, research colleagues would really add to our understanding of how these inflammatory disorders affect our general well-being and mental health.

On the clinical side of things, I think it's incumbent for all clinicians who see patients presenting with allergy like symptoms to make the correct diagnosis, to address the physical symptoms, with not just medications, but also preventative measures like identifying those culprit allergens, addressing them through environmental medication strategies, and then again, along with appropriate pharmacologic interventions.

Then, clinicians really need to consider the well-being, the emotional well-being of these patients, maintain a high index of suspicion, and potentially screen for concomitant mental health conditions as well.