Allergy Capitals

In the spring, the warm weather brings people outdoors to face one of the season’s biggest problems: tree pollen. Grass pollen follows later in spring into summer. Then in the late summer and early fall, weed pollen – especially ragweed pollen – can trigger symptoms just as kids are returning to school. And some parts of the United States now have pollen year-round.

Common symptoms of allergic rhinitis caused by seasonal allergies include:

• Sneezing
• Stuffy nose (due to blockage or nasal congestion)
• Runny nose (also known as rhinorrhea – usually a thin, clear discharge)
• Red, and watery eyes
• Itchy nose, eyes, ears, or mouth
• Swelling around the eyes

If you have allergic rhinitis, you can manage your allergy symptoms with self-care and an allergy treatment plan. If you have allergic asthma, managing your seasonal allergies can help you manage your asthma too.

Now more than ever there are a number of available and accessible options to help you find relief. Work with your doctor to include the steps below in your allergy treatment plan:

• Manage your contact with pollen
• Take allergy medicine
• Rinse out your nose
• Ask your doctor about immunotherapy

Learn more about self-care for allergic rhinitis and ways you can find relief in our report.

Pollen sensors monitor pollen throughout the United States. This helps in the diagnosis and treatment of allergies, studying the impact of climate change, and producing crop forecasts. They can also help people with allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma know when pollen counts are high in their areas so they can better manage their symptoms.

But there aren’t enough pollen sensors in the U.S. to get accurate pollen counts for everyone. The 2023 Allergy Capitals report looks at the importance of pollen sensors, types, and possible solutions to improve pollen monitoring.

The science clearly shows that communities across the nation are seeing the health impacts of climate change, causing a public health emergency. Everyone’s health is at risk, especially infants, children, seniors, low-income communities, communities of color, people with disabilities, and people with chronic diseases like asthma or who are pregnant.

Climate change is creating:

• More ground-level ozone
• Longer and stronger pollen seasons
• Worsening of urban heat islands

If we don’t slow down the cycle, pollen production and air pollution will only get worse. Millions of people already have seasonal allergic rhinitis, and pollen allergies are a major cause. If this cycle continues, we may see the number of people with seasonal allergies increase.

The 2023 Allergy Capitals report outlines the increasing threat of climate change on people with allergies and asthma.