Allergy symptoms may worsen due to Bay Area's prolonged pollen season

If you've been sneezing, sniffling, coughing, or feeling tired from allergies lately, you're not alone.

The Bay Area is in the midst of March and April, traditionally considered peak allergy season. But allergists and recent research say climate change is causing more pollen to be shed earlier in the year and prolonging periods of high pollen. This offers a possible explanation for why seasonal allergy sufferers feel more uncomfortable than usual.

“The rain hasn't completely stopped yet, but we've already seen an increase in tree pollen since the last week or two of March,” said Dr. Jyoti Thirumarasetti, a clinical assistant professor of allergy and immunology at Stanford University. said. “Things are starting earlier and earlier and getting a little bit more intense than they've been in the past. The wetter and warmer weather patterns we've seen this year and last are probably the reason for that.”

An analysis of about 164 U.S. cities found that the growing season (the period during which plants grow and release allergen-inducing pollen) is on average 19 days longer than it was in 1970. released in March By Climate Central, a nonprofit organization that studies climate change.

This means pollen season will be longer and allergy symptoms could last an additional 19 days, said Dr. Lisa Patel, a clinical associate professor of pediatrics at Stanford University who studies the effects of climate change on health. Stated.

Patel said the analysis could not specifically look at California, perhaps because the seasons here are more distinct than on the East Coast or the South, where hot and cold seasons are more distinct. Probably because it's not very clear.

However, the overall findings mirror those of previous studies, including: Looking back on 2023 The paper was published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, which analyzed a number of studies on how global warming worsens allergic diseases. The review found that climate change and global warming are increasing pollen concentrations, with pollen seasons starting earlier and lasting longer.

The Bay Area received slightly above average levels of rainfall this winter. Generally, as rainfall increases, so does vegetation. Rain keeps pollen numbers down, but as the weather gets drier and warmer, weeds, trees, and grasses begin releasing pollen into the air.

“The rain we've had so far has reduced pollen counts. And when it's as dry as it is now, it can get worse quickly,” said Michael Mulligan, Sutter's director of allergy and immunology at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. says the doctor.

Local allergists say most seasonal allergy sufferers in the Bay Area are allergic to tree pollen or grass pollen. Because trees are pollinated early, tree pollen usually causes allergies in people early in the year, around March, April, and May. Then comes grass pollen, usually in April, May, and June, and weed pollen in late summer.

The Bay Area has a unique regional microclimate and trees that can have a significant impact on people's allergies. For example, people in San Francisco tend to have cedar tree allergies because the city has a lot of cedar trees, the South Bay has a lot of olive and oak trees, and the East Bay has a lot of grass, says Dr. Andrew Hope. he said. Allergist at Kaiser Permanente.

Wind and proximity to the sea are also factors. In the East Bay and Central Valley, wind passes through more areas with plants and trees, resulting in greater pollen accumulation.

“Patients who live in San Francisco tend to have less trouble because the pollen is blown away by ocean breezes,” Sutter's Mulligan said. “The farther south you go down the peninsula, the worse your allergies get. If you move from San Francisco to the South Bay, allergies often get worse in the spring, and if you move to Morgan Hill or Gilroy, your symptoms get even worse.”

Mulligan said he often sees Bay Area college students suffering from seasonal allergies when they attend UC Davis or Chico State because pollen levels are much higher in the Central Valley. Ta.

Doctors offer the following tips for managing seasonal allergies.

• Please close the windows at night.

• Wear a mask and sunglasses if you spend a lot of time outdoors.

• After spending time outdoors, change your clothes and take a shower. Invisible pollen can stick to your eyelashes and clothes. Take off your shoes when indoors to avoid tracking pollen.

• Over-the-counter antihistamines, nasal sprays, and olopatadine eye drops. If you know you have severe allergies each spring, start taking your medication 1 to 2 weeks before you think you will need it so it is already in your system. .

• If over-the-counter medications aren't enough, consider getting an allergy test or talking to your doctor about getting allergy shots.

• Check the pollen counts in your area to see if you need to take any special precautions outdoors. The National Bureau of Allergy, operated by the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, includes: online tools It shows pollen and mold counts from pollen stations across the country, including the Bay Area.

Contact Katherine Ho: [email protected]