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Trees, Breeze, Wheeze, Sneeze: Highest Pollen Level in Years Bringing Out the Worst for Asthma, Allergy Sufferers; Hospital Visits Surge

Posted on: Thursday, 11 May 2006, 06:08 CDT

By Jennifer Smith, Newsday, Melville, N.Y.

May 11--Hey, you with the red eyes and the hanky. If you feel like allergies have plunged you into new depths of misery this spring, you're not alone.

Pollen counts double and triple the usual levels for this time of year have caused an upswing in the number of people seeking emergency medical relief from allergy and asthma, some doctors and hospitals in the New York metropolitan region say.

"We've had patients unable to leave their houses, because if they go outside they'll develop such significant eye swelling and tearing that they can't see," said Dr. Mark Davis-Lorton, director of clinical immunology at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola.

"They've told me, 'My eyes become so itchy that I want to pull my eyes out.' "

Last week was particularly bad. New York City's Office of Health and Mental Hygiene reported Friday that emergency room visits from allergy and asthma patients had more than doubled, up to an average of 500 per day.

At Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, a late April surge became a tidal wave on Sunday, when the hospital saw triple the usual number of patients suffering from asthma that a spokeswoman said may have been triggered by pollen or weather.

Some doctors interviewed yesterday said patients with normally manageable symptoms such as a runny nose or swollen eyes have come in complaining of shortness of breath or even with newly developed asthma.

Doctors blame all the sneezing and wheezing on a mild winter and temperate spring that appears to have fostered a bumper crop of tree pollen.

"Usually by this time it will start to slow down, but we're still seeing very large amounts" of pollen, said Dr. Philip Hemmers, an allergist at Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn who does daily pollen counts from the hospital roof for the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

Yesterday's count was 400 grains of pollen per cubic meter of air, compared to the typical 100 to 200 at this time of year. "I'm having problems counting because there's so much pollen on the slide" of his microscope, Hemmers said.

Medical experts recommend that people with allergies stay inside with the windows shut on heavy pollen days, and to see a doctor if symptoms worsen or cannot be managed with over-the-counter remedies.

Why we suffer

Pollen by itself is relatively harmless. In allergic people, pollen provokes the immune system to overreact, and that overreaction causes allergies.

1) Allergens, such as pollen, are inhaled.

2) The body sees the allergens as invaders and produces antibodies. The antibodies attach to immune cells that contain defensive substances called histamines. Over time, this defensive buildup increases a person's sensitivity.

3) The next time the person is exposed, allergens and antibodies bind, causing the immune cell to burst and release histamines. The histamines inflame tissue linings, causing itching, sneezing, runny nose and watery eyes.

SOURCES: Mayo Clinic; American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology

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Copyright (c) 2006, Newsday, Melville, N.Y.

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Source: Newsday, Melville, N.Y.

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