A new report from the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology suggests that the allergic effects of ragweed my be compounded by other allergens like pet dander, dust mites and pollen.
For the study, lead researcher Dr. Anne K. Ellis, MD, of the Kingston General Hospital in Ontario, Canada, examined 123 allergy patients known to suffer from ragweed by exposing them to other allergens. Those who tested positive for other allergies were then exposed to ragweed for 30 minutes.
"On average, those who tested positive for cat, dog, or dust mite allergies developed symptoms either faster than, or to a greater degree than those who tested negative for those allergies," Ellis tells WebMD.
"The differences seen at 90 minutes of exposure were less dramatic after three hours of exposure, however. That suggests that once the hay fever season is in full swing, the symptom differences between those with cat, dog, or dust mite allergies and those without no longer exist."
According to the study, 63 percent of those affected by ragweed were also allergic to dogs and 74 percent were also allergic to mold.
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