Here's who's most at risk to get sick this season

ATLANTA — It's that time of year when people are coughing and sneezing, and the weather could be to blame.

Severe Weather Team 2 Meteorologist Katie Walls found out who's most likely to get sick when the temperature plummets.

Dr. Karen Hoffmann with piedmont ear, nose, throat and related allergy has 15 years’ experience as an ear, nose and throat doctor. That means 15 winters of watching patients’ symptoms go downhill with the temperature.

She told Walls that the very young, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems are especially vulnerable this time of year.

“There are certain groups that are more susceptible to becoming sick in the winter,” Hoffman said.

“Those who have chronic lung illnesses may not fight off infections as well, and they’re going to be more susceptible to the cold weather changes,” Hoffman said.

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Cold air can affect breathing, constrict airways and for those with asthma, even cause asthma attacks.

"You'll have more wheezing every time you go outside in the cold weather," Hoffman said.
If you suffer from allergies, you may not need to worry about pollen this time of year, but you could still be dealing with allergies. The reason? Dust in your house.

“Sometimes we’ll actually see a little increase in allergies. It’s not your normal pollen you’ll see in the spring and the fall but if you have dust mite allergies, because we spend so much more time inside during the winter, you might see a flare-up of those allergies,” Hoffman said.

This happens especially around Christmas when you pull out all of those dust-covered decorations.

“You can have a dust exposure with that, and then if you bring in a fresh Christmas tree, you have mold exposure. So, you can still have a flare-up of allergies even in the winter,” Hoffman said.

This time of year, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. Just being indoors around more people sniffling during the cold months makes you more vulnerable to germs. Try to stay extra healthy this time of year so when your body does encounter those germs, it has a better chance of fighting them off.

Cox Media Group