Global warming and introduced plants are extending the allergy season, experts in Vienna said. Warm winter temperatures caused hazel bushes to release pollen grains in January this year, followed by trees such as ash trees. Grasses bloom in spring and mugwort and ragweed in summer and fall. Even at Christmas time, pollen from purple alders planted by city gardeners buzzed through the air, said Helmut Zwander from the pollen warning service. According to the Austrian weather service GeoSphere, the current winter will be the second warmest since measurements began. This extends the pollen season forward.
In Austria, one and a half to two million people suffer from “hay fever”, which is caused by contact with pollen, said Fritz Horak from the Allergy Center Vienna West. Typical complaints include a runny or stuffy nose, itchy eyes and sneezing attacks.
“They are associated with a loss of quality of life, because many allergy sufferers also suffer from sleep disorders, a decline in performance at work and school, and restrictions in leisure activities during the pollen season,” he explained.
The “supposedly harmless allergic cold” can also trigger allergic asthma. To avoid this, early diagnosis and treatment is necessary. “If symptoms occur at regarding the same time every year and last for several weeks, a pollen allergy might be behind it,” says Horak. Then you should see a doctor.
Immunotherapy can help
Those affected might reduce pollution with pollen protection screens and air purifiers in their living spaces. “Above all, they should avoid the pollen.” The symptoms are alleviated by special active ingredients (antihistamines and cortisone). There is also allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT), in which the immune system learns to tolerate the allergy triggers over a period of several years. “Approximately 70 to 80 percent of those treated report an improvement in their symptoms,” said the doctor. The earlier immunotherapy is started, the better the chances of this happening.
Valerie Hader
