Environmental/Airborne Allergy News

As fall draws near, so does the season for viruses and environmental allergens, which can trigger asthma. Experts say that with children returning to school and the season changing, allergists can expect to see an increase in patients.

SAN ANTONIO — Tricia Sowers, PhD, introduced attendees to allergenic trees along the River Walk and discussed how immunotherapy can address them at the 16th Annual Allergy, Asthma & Immunology CME Conference.

Ambient pollen exposure increases allergy symptom severity, but a lack of exposure threshold may impact pollen warning systems, according to the European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Airborne pollen may be a major cause of asthma-related ED visits during peak pollen season, but the risk varies by location and plant composition, according to a study published in Environmental Research.

SAN ANTONIO — Climate change is making allergies and asthma worse, but patient education and professional advocacy may mitigate these impacts, Jeffrey Demain, MD, FAAAAI, FACAAI, FAAP, told Healio.

The risk of developing alopecia areata increases when both seasonal and food allergies are present, according to a study published in The European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

SAN DIEGO — As a constellation of satellites orbits the Earth, researchers, health care providers, policymakers and other stakeholders in respiratory health can harness their power, said John Haynes, MS, of NASA’s Earth Action Program.

Allergy treatment relies on accurate diagnoses, but current methods such as skin, blood and provocation testing all offer limitations that can lead to false positives and other poor outcomes.

Patients treated with allergen immunotherapy for pollen used less nasal inhaler medication during their first 5 years of treatment than patients who did not use immunotherapy, according to a study published in Allergy.