Allergy sufferers can breathe a sigh of relief

It is green and blooming earlier and earlier. Since the 1980s, the time has awakening to the plants from the winter sleep, about two weeks after the front moved. For Allergy sufferers, even earlier sneezing is called, rubbing the eyes, snorting. Responsible for the climate warming. The hazel, for example, blooms today, around 15 days earlier than 50 years ago, the alder 13 days earlier.

Not only the heat, the humidity also plays a role. The Pollen to burst more often, and so free of your allergens. Possibly the higher CO2 content in the air that the plants produce more biomass and more flower dust.

Particularly violently, it has caught this year, the Ticino. Shortly after Christmas, the experts from Meteo Switzerland were able to measure in Lugano-uniform hazel pollen concentrations, the fourth-earliest date since the beginning of the Measurement. Meteo Switzerland, the pollen calendar, the 14 most important allergenic plant species are recorded. Six pollen types are for around 90 per cent of hay fever cases: hazel, alder, birch, ash, grasses, and mugwort pollen.

Why this Pollen act as strong allergens, is not exactly known. It is clear that Allergy sufferers react almost exclusively on the Pollen of plants to be Wind pollinated. The Pollen of plants, the pollinating insects, are not found in such high concentrations in the air.

"The burden is not usually lasts about four weeks"

Many people are just on a Pollenart allergic to it, but on the Pollen of related plants. Hazels, alders and birch trees include, for example, all of the family, the birch family (Betulaceae), which is why a birch begins to suffer Allergy often also, when the Hazels are in bloom. Because they are related to each other, your seeds probably similar or maybe even the same allergens.

it is not the whole of the Pollen, the Allergy-runny nose and sneezing. It substances in its interior, mostly proteins. Some of these allergens are identified. A Protein called Bet v 1, for example, the immune system reacts as if it had to fight a deadly Virus. Bet v 1 is one of the Main allergenic pollen in Birch.

What is buzzing in the air around, is strongly influenced by weather and climate. "In the pollen concentrations, there are also large regional differences," says Regula Gehrig, which deals with Meteo Switzerland with the pollen measurements.

it was January in German-speaking Switzerland according to the Season cold. Therefore, the hazelnuts were shrubs in the North, there is more to the long-term average. Back in January, the measuring stations of Meteo Swiss registered pollen from individual Hazelnuts. Really to bloom, the bushes began only in mid-February. Because the February was very warm and Sunny, increased the concentration of hazel pollen quickly and reached from the middle of February, high to very high values.

in a hurry the birch trees have it now. Actually, you would begin to bloom in the middle of the country until the beginning of April, in Basel towards the end of March. But in Basel, the birch flying pollen now, for the rest of the Northern side of the Alps this week expected to Gehrig a strong increase. "The strain usually takes around four weeks," says the expert.

In the mountains, the flowering will follow later. In the Valais and in Ticino, it can happen, therefore, that the hay fever Plagued even longer annoy. The Wind can blow the Pollen from later flowering trees in the mountain regions to the valleys, even if the flowers are wilted.

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However, this year there is hope for Allergy sufferers. The last year was an especially violent. The pollen load was exceptionally high. There were many new records for the strength of the load by hazel, alder, birch, ash and oak.

During the birch flowering in April, it was raining hardly, what has aggravated the Situation. The rain washes each part of the Pollen out of the air. Many of the plants in our latitudes, a two-year cycle. If it is so, in a year spent with the pollen production, the following year rather moderate. The Plant is so busy trying to form new seeds that makes them less flowers.

The Allergy centre Switzerland (Aha) is Concerned, different advice on how to keep the pollen load is small. Laundering should not in Free hanging, because the Pollen on the moist cloth stick. Allergy-plagued advises the Aha in addition to washing in the evening from the hair, to spread the Pollen on the pillow. The sports route Affected to the pollen flight time best indoors. The respective peak values can be found on the Website of Meteo Switzerland.

staff: Tina Baier

(Sunday newspaper)

Created: 23.03.2019, 18:59 PM