07:02 PM CDT on Friday, April 8, 2005

KVUE News

Karen Reddy hates the yellow oak tree pollen that coats just about everything outside. This week, oak pollen hit its highest levels, which means allergy sufferers are miserable.

Dr. Allen Lieberman with the Allergy and Asthma Center of Austin says this year he's seeing a big jump in younger allergy patients.

"These kids go outside for five or 10 minutes and then come inside severely swollen, very very uncomfortable," he said.

Lieberman's advice to allergy sufferers is to keep taking medications, don't sleep with windows open at night and stay indoors.

But with weather this nice, many people would rather deal with the yellow pollen than stay inside.

Lieberman says thee to seven days of steady rain would be the best way to get rid of oak pollen.

Otherwise, it will be the end of April before there's any relief.

And then it will be pecan and ash tree pollen followed by grass pollen this summer.