It's mid-March and many allergy sufferers are already suffering from the usual hay fever symptoms such as stuffy noses, watery and itchy eyes - and in many cases from paralyzing fatigue.

Hay fever patients suffer from extreme levels of alder pollen

On the map of the German Weather Service's pollen threat index, the whole of North Rhine-Westphalia is colored dark red in the forecast. Alder pollen alert! Red stands for high intensity stress. And the all-clear is not in sight any time soon: birch pollen is expected soon and finally the season for grass pollen.

“These usually cause the most problems because they occur in huge quantities.”

Prof. Dr. Martin Wagenmann, head of the allergology department under the umbrella of the ENT clinic and deputy head of the University Allergy Center (UAZ) at the Düsseldorf University Hospital

Hay fever worse because of Corona?

Do allergy sufferers now react more strongly to pollen because they came into less contact with pollen during the corona pandemic due to the mask requirement? Prof. Wagenmann considers this conclusion to be untenable.

“In fact, studies show that allergic reactions become worse with repeated allergen contact. At the end of a season, those affected react more strongly to lower amounts of pollen. We call this the priming effect, which has also been extensively described in medicine.”

Prof. Dr. Martin Wagenmann

However, Prof. Wagenmann confirms that there are good studies - for example from Israel - that show that a properly worn mask can even help reduce pollen levels.

Once the exact cause has been determined, there are very effective treatments

Those affected can rely on therapies that have been steadily improved over the years. Depending on the severity of the hay fever, cortisone sprays or sprays containing cortisone with an antihistamine .

“There is a persistent belief that antihistamines make you tired. That was also true in earlier times. With the means available today, this side effect usually no longer occurs.”

Prof. Dr. Martin Wagenmann

Finally, the third and often most effective therapy is allergen immunotherapy or hyposensitization. To put it simply, allergens are introduced into the body so that the immune system can get used to them.

“The crucial point here is that it must be known beforehand what exactly the patient is allergic to.”

Prof. Dr. Martin Wagenmann

It is therefore very important that people who have allergy symptoms go to their family doctor or allergist and have an allergy test done to determine the exact cause. “Only then is it possible to initiate targeted therapy,” says Prof. Wagenmann.

source:

German health portal
Already read? Some like it hot. Others don't. A current study shows why our food represents a large part of the climate problem. A Mimikama fact check: Food as a climate driver - The sha with the methane


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