ALLERGY MARCH 2022. The end of March signals the arrival of the birch pollen season and the associated allergy risks. Which departments are most affected at the moment? On alert ? Listing.
[Mis à jour le 22 mars 2022 à 15h11] At this end of month of March, allergy sufferers must be prepared. The season of birch pollen will start on Thursday March 24 announces the National Aerobiological Monitoring Network (RNSA) on March 22. In the Mediterranean, the risk of allergy linked to Cupressaceae pollen (cypress, juniper, cedar, etc.) will remain high throughout the week even if the concentrations how to decline. Allergies related to ash, alder, willow, sometimes still hazel, will be present in France with a very often low to medium risk. The pollen from grasses will affect the western part of France with a low risk in the days to come. The first plane tree pollen have been detected and the risk of allergy will be medium in the coming days.
2022 pollen map: what risks by department?
List of departments where the risk of allergy is high : Vosges (88), Haut-Rhin (68), Var (83), Bouches-du-Rhône (13), Vaucluse (84), Gard (30), Hérault (34), Aude (11), Pyrénées-Orientales (66).
What advice in case of allergies?
The RNSA recommends that allergy sufferers:
- to follow their treatments and consult the doctor in case of symptoms,
- regularly consult the pollen vigilance map on the RNSA website
- rinse your hair at night,
- ventilate at least 10 minutes a day before sunrise and after sunset,
- avoid drying clothes outside,
- keep car windows closed to prevent pollen from entering the passenger compartment,
- avoid outdoor sports activities that lead to overexposure to pollen.
- Also beware of air pollution, which can exacerbate pollen allergies.
What are the differences between the symptoms of an allergy and Covid?
The priority for allergy sufferers, despite the coronavirus epidemic, is to maintain their background treatment to better control asthma and avoid complications. Caution of do not confuse the symptoms of Covid-19 and pollen allergy. As the RNSA reminds us, the dry cough or respiratory problems linked to asthma are indeed quite similar to those of the first symptoms of Covid-19 infection, but what makes the big difference for Covid-19 is flu syndrome (pain, body aches, fever). If in doubt, do not hesitate to consult your doctor or an allergist.
What pollens are present in France?
The pollen produced by the flowers is composed of tiny grains used for plant reproduction. The main manifestations of pollen allergy are allergic rhinitis (or allergic rhino-conjunctivitis), also called “hay fever”. It exists three main categories of pollen : tree pollens (birch, plane tree…), grasses (wheat, oats…) and herbaceous plants (nettle, ragweed…).
In France, the main plant species responsible for allergies are:
- grasses (April to July)
- birch (April, especially in northern France)
- the cypress (February to April)
- mugwort ragweed (August, September)
What are the symptoms of a pollen allergy?
A pollen allergy is manifested by several characteristic symptoms: itchy eyes, conjunctival redness, tearing, swollen and sticky eyelids, itchy nose, sometimes stuffy and with clear and repeated discharge. The plane tree pollens which are gaining ground throughout the country at the beginning of April are slightly allergenic but the micro-needles contained in the plane tree husks are very irritating and can scratch in the throat and make you cough.
In case of symptoms, do not hesitate to consult a doctor (general practitioner, allergist), rather by teleconsultation at the moment. The practitioner may consider the passage of allergological tests (skin tests or assays of immunoglobins E or IgE) in order to confirm the diagnosis and set up a treatment aimed at relieving the symptoms.