By Cynthia Hubert, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.
Mar. 19–For lawyer Chip Wilkins, springtime means one thing: swirling pollens. And Sacramento in springtime is his version of hell. “I never had allergy problems until I moved to Sacramento,” said Wilkins, reciting a common mantra among Valley dwellers. But does our fair city really deserve its long-standing reputation for being the worst place on the planet for allergy sufferers? Probably not, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, which ranks the 320 largest metropolitan areas based on their pollen levels, the number of residents using allergy medications and the number of allergists per capita. By the nonprofit organization’s standards, Sacramento is pretty much middle of the road when it comes to seasonal allergy problems. It ranked 62 last year, up from 73 in 2004, and consistently has landed toward the bottom of the top 100 metro areas, said AAFA spokeswoman Angel Waldron. Cities that ranked far higher than Sacramento last year include: * Lexington, Ky. * Little Rock, Ark.
* Chattanooga, Tenn. * Charlotte, N.C. * St. Louis * And even Washington, D.C. More than 50 million Americans have seasonal allergies, said Waldron. “Of course, everyone thinks that wherever they live is the worst. But if you’re not in the top 10 or 20, you are basically average. I would definitely not say that Sacramento is really, really bad.”
But even if Sacramento cannot claim “worst allergy city” status, it’s still a torturous place for many people, particularly in the spring, according to area specialists. One full week before the official start of spring, things already were busy at allergist Paul Cloninger’s office. “Very busy,” he said. “People are trying to prepare themselves for spring. They want to get a head start.” They will be battling some formidable foes, including geography, weather, air quality and flora and fauna, said Cloninger and others. Our location, in a valley surrounded by agricultural fields, is perhaps the most obvious contributor to making allergy sufferers miserable, they said. “If you’re in San Francisco, you have a large body of water constantly moving pollens toward the east,” said Cloninger. “We don’t have that here.” Tiny pollen particles, when they hit the air in the springtime, can travel for perhaps 20 miles. In Sacramento, they settle in like unwanted houseguests. “We’re like a giant vacuum cleaner bag,” said Eric Gershwin, chief of the division of rheumatology, allergy and immunology in the UC Davis College of Medicine. “Everything gets sucked over here, and it’s trapped.” Grass pollens are the worst offenders, said Robert Watson, an allergist associated with Mercy Medical Group. Our mild, rainy winters allow grasses to grow luxuriantly. When the weather warms and breezes pick up, millions of microscopic pollen grains take to the skies, spreading to other plants as well as our nasal passages. Sacramento’s ubiquitous trees, as well as weeds, including Russian thistle and mugwort, also do their share of pollinating. “I’ve been told that Sacramento is second only to Paris in the number of trees we have,” said Cloninger. “They have to pollinate, too.”
Trees with large blossoms, such as citrus trees, are pollinated by insects “so they don’t affect you,” he explained. But beware of olive trees, ashes, mulberries and many others. Cottonwoods, said Watson, get somewhat of a bad rap. “That fluff that blows around looking like snow in May is seed, not pollen, and we aren’t allergic to it,” he said. The cottonwood tree’s pollens are released well before its fluffy seeds, he noted. Sooner or later, most people develop some type of allergy, regardless of where they live, said Cloninger. “It’s a genetic thing,” he said. “You’re born with it.” You may not have symptoms until adulthood, when you find yourself in the presence of new irritants, the allergists said. It is not uncommon for people to begin sneezing and sniffling when they adopt a cat for the first time, or “move to the Sacramento area from somewhere else,” said Watson. But you cannot necessarily escape allergies by relocating to Minneapolis. “If you move to a climate that’s very cold, you might be less likely to have symptoms in the wintertime because nothing grows,” said Gershwin. But look out when it warms up. “If you go to Miami or New Orleans, you’re more likely to have allergy to mold because those areas have more humidity. You really can’t escape allergies. We don’t recommend moving. It’s silly.” Wilkins and his family moved from California to the desert southwest when he was a boy, in part to relieve his brother’s severe allergies. But for allergy sufferers, “it’s not such a great place anymore,” he noted. Folks from all over the country have brought their native plants to the area, and now Tucson, Ariz., ranks higher than Sacramento for allergy challenges. These days, Wilkins seeks relief on the water. “Anywhere beachy is wonderful,” he said. Candace Hull Taylor, who teaches English at UC Davis and at Sacramento City College, has never seriously considered moving away from the Sacramento area, even though her allergies worsened considerably when she came here from Southern California in 1989. “I moved in August and by December I started seeing an allergist,” she said. “On a scale of 1 to 4 for allergies to pollens, I was a 4-plus.” She also had asthma, which can be worsened by allergens and air pollution. The AAFA places Sacramento 71st on the list of “most challenging places to live” for people with asthma, and medical specialists attribute the ranking to the area’s smog problems. Particles of air pollution can lodge in the lungs to aggravate asthma and worsen respiratory diseases. So what is an allergy sufferer to do, now that spring is on the horizon? “Avoidance of the allergen is the best solution,” said Cloninger, so figuring out exactly what is causing your problems is most important. Close your windows, particularly on warm, breezy days in the spring. Take antihisthamines or steroid nose sprays. Allergy “shots,” reserved for people with the worst symptoms, are a last resort. “Treatment is much better these days,” said Cloninger. “With the advent of so many good new medications, we don’t see as many people suffering.” That is of little comfort to Allie Armstrong, who has battled allergies her whole life. “I’ve had them in Arizona, Oregon, New Mexico and California, but they’re definitely worse here,” said Armstrong, a teacher who lives in Carmichael. “I have pretty much concluded that I am allergic to just about everything.” Both of her children inherited her allergies. Sacramento’s persistent rain of late has, for Armstrong, been a blessing. “When it rains and it’s cold, that’s good for me,” she said. “I am definitely not looking forward to spring. When everything is blooming, I cry.” It’s almost impossible to predict the severity of this year’s spring allergy season, specialists said. But misery is definitely in the forecast for a lot of people. “Every year, someone predicts that ‘This year will be the worst ever,’ ” said Gershwin. “The fact is that every year is bad here. Sacramento always has a very, very busy allergy season.” 2005 WORST CITIES FOR SPRING ALLERGIES 1. Lexington, Ky. 2. Little Rock, Ark. 3. Chattanooga, Tenn. 4. Louisville, Ky. 5.Johnson City, Tenn. 6. Greenville, S.C. 7. Richmond, Va. 8. Charlotte, N.C. 9. Jackson, Miss. 10. St. Louis 16. Washington, D.C. 41. Tucson, Ariz. 62. Sacramento 2005 ASTHMA CAPITALS 1. Knoxville, Tenn. 2. Memphis, Tenn. 3. Louisville, Ky. 4. Toledo, Ohio 5. Washington, D.C. 6. St. Louis 7. Allentown, Pa. 8. Springfield, Mass. 9. Grand Rapids, Mich. 10. Scranton, Pa. 71. Sacramento Source: Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America A-Choo Stuffy nose? Itchy eyes? It’s not in your head, but it is affecting it. If spring’s arrival has you reaching for the tissue, you’re in good company. Americans visited their doctors 15.2 million times for allergies in 2003, the last year for which data are available, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Seasonal allergies occur during specific flowering periods when plants are shedding their pollen. In general, trees flower in the spring, grasses in the summer and weeds in the fall, according to pollen.com. Pollen (allergen) * Typically a harmless substance, it enters the nose, eyes and/or lungs. The body’s immune system * The immune system overreacts and produces antibodies to defend the body against the pollen, which is seen as a dangerous substance. Types of treatment Proper diagnosis is essential to selecting the proper treatment (see “Identifying allergens,” below). Following are a few categories of allergy treatments. Antihistamine Blocks effect of histamine, reduces symptoms; may not be effective for nasal congestion. May cause dry mouth, dry eyes or drowsiness. Children may experience nightmares, unusual jumpiness, restlessness or irritability. Decongestant Helps clear passageway, congestion produced by allergies. Nasal spray Medication is administered without traveling throughout the body. Steroid sprays reduce inflammation in the nose, preventing sneezing, congestion and runny noses. May cause temporary dryness and irritation of the nose. Immunotherapy Doctor-administered shots that gradually build up resistance to allergens. Allergy information You can check pollen counts and take an allergy quiz at www.pollen.com. Identifying allergens Unsure if you have allergies? A definitive diagnosis requires a doctor’s visit. Tests a doctor might perform: A skin test, in which diluted extracts from allergens are injected under or applied to the skin on a patient’s arm or back. A small, raised, reddened area (called a wheal) with a surrounding flush (called a flare) appears at the site where the allergen was injected or applied. For those with skin conditions (such as eczema), a blood test is used to help determine how much antibody the body produces to a particular allergen. Common myths * “Hay fever” is a term commonly used to describe allergy symptoms, but the allergies aren’t caused by hay at all. The phrase was coined by a British physician in 1828 – because his allergy symptoms worsened during the British haying season. * Allergens such as ragweed or ash trees aren’t readily found in the desert or Southwestern United States, but heading to the desert doesn’t prevent new plant sensitivities and allergies from developing. * Sensitivity to some allergens tends to run in families, but problems can be reduced by avoiding them. Symptoms are more likely to develop as we age and can potentially last a lifetime. Sources: Dr. David L. Patterson; manufacturers’ data; AAO-HNS; www.niaid.nih.gov; www.claritin.com; Surveillance Data Inc., 2001; www.umm.edu/careguides/allergy/
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