The permanently stuffy nose, rapid sneezing, coughing and even watery eyes. A picture that immediately makes you think ofinfluence given the record season, but also pay attention to allergies. “When we talk about seasonal or, as in this period, 'pre-seasonal' allergies, we are most frequently referring to respiratory pathologies that is, rhinitis, rhinoconjunctives, asthma or 'asthmatic equivalents' with cough associated with wheezing, possible breathlessness and 'air hunger'. These are pathologies that undoubtedly have a strong impact on the population considering that, according to updated and accredited sources, in Italy approximately half of the population suffers from respiratory allergies with a constantly increasing trend. Precisely the unstoppable growth of these pathologies leads to correlating their exponential increase to the intervention of some environmental factors which add to the allergenic ones”. Thus the immunologist told Adnkronos Salute Mauro Minelliresponsible for the South of the Italian Foundation for Personalized Medicine.
Among the allergenic factors, he lists, “the dust mites stand out, more abundantly available in confined environments between September and February, fungal spores, animal epithelia (dogs, cats) and pollens. The most important allergenic pollens come from herbaceous plants ( Gramineae, Compositae, Urticacee) and from trees (birch, hazel, olive, cypress). However, there is a progressive increase in allergies towards 'emerging' pollens – underlines Minelli – once considered of little relevance from an allergological point of view. This phenomenon , in addition to the introduction of new 'exotic' species for ornamental use in parks and gardens, seems to be linked above all to a rapid expansion of new weed species including, for example, ragweed”.
But hasn't the time of allergies always been spring?
How come those flowering periods have now become so messed up that we can no longer understand whether we have our usual allergy or simply a cold? “Let's go back to ambrosia for a moment – replies the immunologist – This is a plant native to the United States, but also rapidly spreading in the northern regions of Europe where, due to global warming which leads to a significant lengthening of of flowering, the pollen of this plant is believed to soon constitute a large percentage of the overall pollen production and, therefore, of potential allergic disorders. Even the pollination of the cypress, originally considered pre-seasonal as it was substantially concentrated in the months of January and February , has been recording a marked increase in recent years which seems to extend well into spring, with a consequent increase in the number of patients who are becoming sensitized to the pollen of these arboreal plants”. (continued)
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