Sneezing? Congested? Constantly itching red eyes? Blame your parents. “People inherit a genetic predisposition to allergies,” said Dr. Trasad Nataraj, an allergist with Upper Chesapeake Health. Year-round and seasonal reactions to pollen and other allergy triggers are built into our genes.

“If one parent has allergies, there?s a 50 percent chance an offspring will have allergies,” Nataraj said. “If both parents [have allergies], the chances are 70 percent.”