The warmer temperatures make pollen seasons longer and more intense and symptoms of hay fever are more severe. New research indicates that these changes already contribute to high hay fever rates.
Scott Simon, host:
There are frustrating news for seasonal allergies – climate change makes pollen seasons longer and more intense and more severe symptoms. Here is Maria Godoy from NPR.
Maria Godoy, Panlin: When she was in her first year from the Faculty of Medicine at George Washington University, Elisha Berchens was the shading of other doctors in the ear, nose and throat clinic. I quickly noticed a trend between those who suffer from hay fever.
Alisha Persad: I heard people in the clinic talking about how their symptoms were getting worse. It was a very common complaint that I saw directly. More importantly, I saw how much it affects the quality of the life of these patients.
Godoy: Including school days and work. Persad wanted a better understanding of how the climate change affects what you see in the clinic. So she and her colleagues reviewed dozens of studies, given the effect of climate change on seasonal allergies all over the world. The review appears in the magazine.
Persad: We see that with high global temperatures as a result of climate change, pollen seasons shine. So they started early and later ended.
Godoy: For example, one study found that the pollen season has already received 20 days in North America between 1990 and 2018. Another study was that by the end of the century, warming temperatures will bring up the flowers of up to 40 days soon in the spring and keep weeds and herbs that release pollen up to 19 days in the fall. Several studies have also found an increase in the average concentration of daily pollen, which may not be surprised by those who used to see our cars wrapped in yellow dust at this time of the year.
Persad: We also see that with these high temperatures, things like Ragweed pollen grow faster and grow more. Thus, the presence of pollen is more abundant.
Godoy: All this means more misery for those who are allergic.
Persad: They have more symptoms, previous symptoms and worse symptoms.
GODOY: Research also shows the number of people with seasonal allergies, and they visit the doctor more. One study found that people in the United States spend $ 3.4 billion every year on the medical costs of things such as prescribed medications and outpatient visits. Persad says that all this research brings home with the number of ways that climate change in our daily life – not to mention our sinuses.
Maria Godoy, NPR news.
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