Two Texas Cities Are Listed Among The Nation Allergy Capitals

In Texas, everything is more significant—including, it turns out, the pollen count. According to a recent rating from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Dallas and Houston are among the top 20 most difficult cities for Americans who suffer from allergies.

Dallas was ranked No. 2 on the health-focused nonprofit’s 2023 list of “allergy capitals,” which was announced. Houston was ranked No. 12 in contrast. The Texas cities of McAllen, San Antonio, El Paso, and Austin all made the top 100. The most populous metro regions were evaluated using the AAFA approach, and each city’s pollen scores, over-the-counter medication use, and accessibility to board-certified immunologists and allergists were considered.

The Potential Effects Of Variables

The study outlined the potential effects of variables like climate change, urbanization, access to healthcare, and varieties of plants in the local environment on these cities’ public health, some of which have a year-round allergy season. According to the study, longer growing seasons for plants and more pollen are a result of increased temperatures and carbon dioxide concentrations.

According to the data, “researchers discovered that climate change is responsible for roughly 50% of the increase in pollen seasons and approximately 8% of the increase in pollen concentrations.”

According to that reasoning, it makes sense that allergy sufferers would have it worse in major cities. The AAFA refers to cities as “urban heat islands,” which are essentially hot spots. Due to their dense populations, concrete structures, and gas emissions, these places tend to stay warmer. According to studies, “extreme heat made worse by [urban heat islands] increases air pollution and can increase allergic sensitivity.”

Some people could have felt worse off this year than usual. In the southern and eastern sections of the U.S., “an exceptionally warm February” has resulted in a multiplication of pollen, as Rachel Ramirez observed for CNN in March. Ramirez, who spoke with Lewis Ziska, an associate professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University, noted that this could turn into a pattern as scientists hypothesized in a 2022 study that warmer climates could result in longer and more intense allergy seasons. We have many types of news about diseases, and this is one of the Texas Judge Overturns Obamacare-Free HIV Medicines And Cancer Screenings.

“It’s a very solid piece of science,” said Ziska, who was not involved with the study. “Looking at forecasting, particularly for both the high and low projections, it’s a very good indication of the kind of impact that climate change can directly have with respect to people’s health.”