March 28, 2024

The Science - Dehydration barely gives pollen allergy sufferers a break - Wikipedia

The Science – Dehydration barely gives pollen allergy sufferers a break – Wikipedia

BERLIN (dpa) – For some pollen-sensitive people in Germany, this spring may bring more symptoms than usual.

Because of the drought in many areas, pollen won’t be washed out of the air, said landscape ecologist Matthias Wierschan of the German On-Demand Pollen Information Services in Berlin. “If there is no rain, the air is very rich in pollen. And even pollen that has fallen to the ground can flip back when it is dry. For allergy sufferers, this means that there are no holidays with a lower concentration of pollen.” “

When it rains in the spring, this usually first cleans the air of pollen, so allergy sufferers, for example, can ventilate without hesitation. Rainy or mixed weather in the spring can relieve symptoms.

The year of the mast for many types of trees

According to Werchan, the problem this spring is not just drought: some tree species have a mast year in which they bear a particularly large number of fruits. Before that, there was an above average pollen count. “Oak and beech have a strong season in many areas,” Wershan said. Many people who are allergic to birch pollen have also reacted to it as part of a cross allergy.

According to the expert, ash also had a strong season, while birch and alder had less. The grass pollen journey is currently beginning in this country: “The values ​​are now locally at moderate, sometimes high load.” Among other things, the foundation publishes a weekly pollen forecast.

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Visible yellow pollen is less of a problem

However, allergy sufferers don’t have to worry about yellow haze, which is hard to ignore in cars or garden furniture at the moment, Wiershan describes: “Visible yellow pollen usually comes from fir and pine. Due to their size, they can It sometimes blinds the eyes or irritates the respiratory system. But this is more of a foreign body sensation than an allergy. A strong birch year, which many people suffer from, will not be visible to the naked eye – their pollen is simply too small.”

In hay fever patients, the body releases the messenger histamine as a defensive response to pollen. Those affected can relieve acute symptoms with nasal spray, eye drops, and tablets. Sometimes it is also advisable to travel when allergies are at their peak. Immunotherapy, eg with injections or tablets (hyposensitivity), is started at the cause – but patients should start this treatment a few months before the pollen season.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 220517-99-316355 / 3