The total amount of pollen in Chengdu is 20 times that of 30 years ago. This park city pollen index is a bit interesting →
Recently, Chengdu Park Urban Construction Administration officially released the 2023 Park Urban Pollen Index.
Spring is a "disaster" for many patients with allergic diseases: tears flying everywhere, sneezing repeatedly, itchy skin and unbearable redness …
Since 2018, west china hospital Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery/Allergy Response Center has been monitoring the pollen distribution in Chengdu for a long time. According to Meng Juan, a professor of otorhinolaryngology and head and neck surgery in west china hospital and deputy director of allergic reaction center, the total pollen in Chengdu in recent years is about 20 times that of 30 years ago, compared with the research data made by a retired old professor in the same department 30 years ago.
Which plants are susceptible to sensitization in Chengdu recently? What are the preventive measures?
The culprit of sensitization is not flowers!
"Since 2018, we have monitored airborne pollen in Chengdu, mainly focusing on what seasons, varieties and quantities of pollen floating in the air." Meng Juan said that comparing the monitoring data for many years with the research data made by a retired professor of Huaxi Hospital (Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery) 30 years ago, it is found that the total amount of pollen now is about 20 times that of more than 30 years ago, and some kinds of pollen are even more than 80 times that of 30 years ago.
Surprisingly, when it comes to pollen allergy, people’s first reaction is to stay away from fragrant flowers such as roses, lilies and gardenias. "After many patients came to the hospital for diagnosis, they all said that they would go back and throw away the flowers planted at home." Meng Juan said that in fact, this is a common misunderstanding among patients with pollen allergy. The "culprit" of pollen allergy is actually the pollen of trees and weeds.
"The flowers planted at home are generally ornamental flowers, and the amount of pollen is not large, and they are usually insect-borne flowers. They mainly rely on bees and butterflies to spread pollen. The particles are large and sticky, and they are not easy to spread in the air." Meng Juan said that allergic pollen, usually wind-blown flowers, has no fragrance and bright colors and cannot attract insects to pollinate, so it can only be won by quantity. "So the pollen of wind-blown flowers is usually light in texture and can be blown far away by the wind." For example, poplar, elm, cypress, birch, phoenix tree, Broussonetia papyrifera and so on.
What are the common allergic pollen in Chengdu in spring and autumn?
According to the monitoring data, there are two pollen seasons in Chengdu, namely, spring and autumn.
The spring in Chengdu is relatively warm, and the earliest pollen dispersal appeared around beginning of spring. "For example, on February 1 this year, we monitored the pollen of Sabina vulgaris, which first appeared." Meng Juan said that this is the most common allergic pollen in Chengdu in spring, which usually lasts from February to the end of March.
In March, the temperature rose, and the types of pollen gradually increased. Broussonetia papyrifera, Platanus acerifolia and Betula platyphylla joined the "scourge" team one after another. "Especially the pollen of Broussonetia papyrifera, the current monitoring data is about 80 times that of 30 years ago, and it is also the largest increase."
In autumn, the "protagonist" of allergic pollen in Chengdu becomes humulus pollen and Artemisia pollen, that is, weed pollen, which lasts from the end of August to the end of October and early November.
What plants are susceptible to sensitization in Chengdu recently?
Recently, the main allergic plants in Chengdu are Sabina, Cupressus and rape. Cupressaceae plants are widely used in parks and residential areas, and rape flowers are also widely planted around Chengdu. In addition, the inflorescences of sensitized plants such as Taxodiaceae, Pinaceae and Photinia are gradually maturing.
During this time, the weather in Chengdu is fine, so allergic patients should pay attention to avoiding such allergic plants and take good protection when traveling.
How to prevent and seek medical treatment for allergic patients?
Clinically, the number of patients visiting the allergy specialist clinic also confirms the time of "pollen season" in Chengdu.
"In the pollen season, half of the patients in the allergy clinic are allergic to pollen." Meng Juan said that in terms of the number of patients, there are fewer allergic people in autumn than in spring, which is also consistent with the characteristics that the total amount of pollen in autumn is less than in spring.
For patients with pollen allergy, Meng Juan suggested going to the hospital for formal testing to find out which pollen they are allergic to. In these pollen spreading seasons, if economic conditions or time permit, the best protection method is to leave the place of residence and temporarily live in a place where there are no such pollen. "For example, some patients who come to Hainan in spring will find that they have no allergic symptoms because there is no sensitized pollen in that environment in Hainan."
However, the conditions of most patients are not allowed, so it is necessary to reduce going out as much as possible. When staying at home or in the car, close the doors, windows and windows to reduce the outdoor pollen from drifting indoors or in the car.
When going out, you must wear a mask, and people with obvious eye symptoms can wear goggles to minimize skin exposure. Wash your hands and nose in time after returning home to reduce the amount of pollen deposited on your body.
The most easily overlooked point is the drying of clothes. In the pollen season, it is best to choose indoor drying. "Drying outdoors can also cause allergies if pollen in the air adheres to clothes." Meng Juan said.
In addition to prevention, patients with pollen allergy should go to the hospital for medical treatment in time, and ask the doctor to give them corresponding medication, such as oral administration, nasal spray, eye drops, etc. These measures can not only reduce the course of allergic patients, but more importantly, if allergic rhinitis is repeated and there is no effective treatment and control, it is very likely to develop from the initial allergic rhinitis to the lower respiratory system, causing asthma. "Asthma is extremely life-threatening during its acute attack."
Original title: Chengdu released the park city pollen index in 2023. The total amount of pollen in Chengdu is 20 times that of 30 years ago.
Editor: Yang Hong
Editor: Xu Hao
Audit: Song Yan