Are you allergic? The next three months will be difficult.
Children and adults between 35 and 40 years old are the most affected by the rise in rhinitis and asthma.
BarcelonaPollen allergy sufferers should be on alert this spring, especially for children between the ages of 5 and 15 and adults between the ages of 35 and 40. After a winter with above-average pollination rates, the rainfall of recent weeks, and the forecast for a spring with heavy downpours, experts predict significant and prolonged peaks that threaten allergy sufferers this season. "Even people who don't normally suffer from allergies will have to be vigilant. When severe episodes like these occur, new adverse reactions to pollen can be triggered," warns the coordinator of the Aerobiological Network of Catalonia (XAC) and researcher at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (Barcelona).
The historic drought of recent years in Catalonia has had a direct impact on the pollination of plants and trees. The lack of rain initially led to less pollen being suspended in the air, as flora had less water available and had to prioritize how to use it. However, as the drought worsened, plants and trees felt threatened and used the little water they received on reproduction, producing floral explosions that increased the pollen count. Now, with the rain, it seems the pollen season is returning to normal, and Belmonte adds that it will be even stronger than before the drought.
When it rains during the day, it washes pollen off the trees and prevents it from bothering people with allergies. In contrast, showers encourage the growth of smaller plants and grasses, which can bloom for a long time. This will make allergy episodes last longer, as March and May will be rainy, but April will be even rainier than usual. "This will lead to a higher concentration of pollen in the air, with the consequent impact on allergy sufferers," the expert assures.
Despite the slightly higher than usual temperatures, most plants released pollen at their usual time, without any early releases; only the elms and willows pollinated a few weeks late, as did the London plane trees, which began pollinating about two weeks later than expected.
Combating the symptoms
In Catalonia, there are approximately 2 million people who suffer from respiratory allergies, but "there are studies that indicate this figure could double by 2050," says Gaspar Dalmau, president of the Catalan Society of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (SCAIC). These allergies mostly manifest as upper respiratory tract infections, that is, allergic rhinitis with conjunctivitis and asthma.
"This condition is very prevalent in society; it can affect up to 30% of the population, not only with rhinitis, but also with nasal congestion, sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes or throat, palate, or even ear canals," explains Dalmau. Experts have also pointed out that four out of ten cases of asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis are also caused by pollen and that the data show two clear peaks in incidence: in children aged 5 to 15 and in adults aged 35 to 40.
According to Belmonte, these people must be properly diagnosed to know which plant or tree causes their allergies, and follow the predictions made by experts through their Web page and even wear glasses and a mask to prevent pollen particles from entering through the nose, mouth, and eyes. According to the XAC, which has stations in nine municipalities across the country to detect the types of pollen that exist in the environment, the most abundant allergens in Catalonia are cupressaceae – conifers of the pine family – (22.1%), London plane (10.6%), 8%, 4.4%), grasses (4.2%), ash (2.8%), bletes (2.8%) and mugwort (1%).
Experts also recall that the increase in temperature and the rise in carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels increase pollen production, lengthen the exposure season, and increase the presence of allergens in the air. "Climate change is changing the pollination patterns of many plants, lengthening their emission duration and increasing their concentration in the air. Catalonia's climatic conditions, with mild winters and increasingly warm summers, are favoring the proliferation of pollen-producing species," they conclude.