Hay fever: early start for pollen

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MunichThe mild temperatures have lured the plants out of hibernation prematurely: The pollen flow started particularly early this season.

Daily forecast

Pollen allergy sufferers should therefore equip themselves with handkerchiefs and antihistamines in good time: Alder pollen is currently flying in Germany, birch pollen will begin to fly in the south this weekend, and in the north during the course of the week. At Easter the grasses, mugwort and the dreaded ragweed are in season from July to September. This has been calculated by the German Pollen Information Service Foundation.

"For the first time, we are offering an up-to-date calculation of the probable start of pollen count for the most important pollen species," says the head of the foundation, Prof. Karl-Christian Bergmann. Overall, the pollen count started a little earlier in the south of Germany than in the north.

Hay fever - a common plague

Many people in Germany are plagued by hay fever: 16.5 percent of women and 13 percent of men suffer from hay fever, shows a study by the Robert Koch Institute. There are particularly many pollen allergy sufferers in the 30 to 39-year-old age group: 22.7 percent of women and 18.9 percent of men there are allergic to the tiny planes.

The numbers have remained largely unchanged since 199. It is worrying that the number of asthmatics continues to rise - from 5.7 percent to 8.6 percent of adults.

Impending asthma

If hay fever is left untreated, it can lead to a change of floor: The affected allergy sufferers also develop allergic asthma, which is much more stressful than the annoying sniffling and tears in the eyes.

The only way to treat the cause of hay fever is currently still the so-called desensitization. Initially tiny, then increasingly higher doses of the allergen are administered. If the therapy works, the body increasingly tolerates the allergy triggers. However, the treatment takes a long time and can only be carried out if the relevant pollen is not already buzzing through the air. (cf)

	south	north
	Beginning - end	Beginning - end
birch	15.3. - 30.5.	20.3. - 15.6.
Grasses	15.4. - 15.9.	20.4. - 20.9.
mugwort	15.7. - 15.9.	15.7. - 20.9.
ambrosia	20.7. - 20.9.	10.8. - 20.9.