critical week in the Marche for those who are allergic

ANCONA One eye on the weather and another on the pollen report. Hard times for allergy sufferers in the Marche. Their eyes burn, their nose runs and, in addition to sneezing, tears and itching, they have to deal with difficulty concentrating. And this has been the case for a few weeks, because the Primavera have always been ahead of the game for years now. A rhinitis problem that affects between 30 and 40% of Marche residents and degenerates into asthma in 3 and 7% of adults and 10-15% of children.

This week, the aerobiological monitoring carried out by Arpam which analyzes the data collected from four stations (Ancona, Castel di Lama, Comunanza and Pesaro) shows «a high concentration of oleaceae pollen capable of causing symptoms affecting the respiratory system in all sensitive patients but due to frequent rainfall the aerial levels of grasses and parietaria remain low”.

The application

And those who like to have a pollen forecast in real time can download the “Meteo Allergies” app from the network of the Association of Italian Territorial and Hospital Allergists and Immunologists, of which the Ancona pulmonologist Floriano Bonifazi is the founder and honorary president. There is a forecast for the next four days for the areas around the provincial capitals of the Marche except Fermo. As for Ancona, it has a further edge: in the framework of the “Ancona Respira” air pollution project, the data are commented on both by the scientific coordinator, Professor Bonifazi, and by the Arpa Marche biologist Nadia Trobiani. Initiatives that are part of the “One Health” approach, the focus of the G7 Health Ministers which will be held in Ancona from 9 to 11 October.

Model

A healthcare model based on the recognition that human, animal and ecosystem health are inextricably linked and require the integration of different disciplines. «An approach that allergy sufferers experience every day – Bonifazi intervenes – because the evolution of their pathologies is influenced by air pollution, climate change and even globalization». He explains that climate change alters the concentration and distribution of atmospheric pollutants and interferes with the presence of seasonal allergens, prolonging the pollination period and above all increasing the increase in CO2 through increasing the allergenicity of the pollen themselves.

«Furthermore – he adds – climate change, causing extreme events such as floods, storms, strong heat waves, translates into a dramatic increase in airborne concentrations of pollen and fungal spores, causing deaths and causing hospitalizations in the emergency room for severe exacerbations of allergic asthma. or even cardio-respiratory problems due to the increase in ozone and fine dust in the air”. As for globalization, it brings its load of new pollen to the Marche.

Weed plants

“Like ragweed pollen, a weed that arrived on planes from the United States several years ago, well present in Lombardy – says Bonifazi – also widespread in the Marche”. Furthermore, to help allergy sufferers, urban greenery should absolutely be planned better by helping architects, agronomists and public works offices to correctly identify the species «taking into account – concludes Bonifazi – those that create fewer problems for a population which, unfortunately, is increasingly allergic.”

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Read the full article at
Adriatic Courier