If you live in Wichita, there’s a reason you’re suffering from allergies right now
Wichita ranks as the second most challenging city in the U.S. for fall pollen allergies this year, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America says.
The 2022 allergy capitals report ranks the top 100 cities for fall allergies. Scranton, Pennsylvania ranked first. Seattle, Washington is the last city on the list.
Ragweed is one of the main causes of fall allergies. It’s found in almost every state, but is heavily concentrated in the East and Midwest.
“Around 75 percent of people with pollen allergies are allergic to ragweed,” the release says.
Pollen allergies have worsened since the foundation’s first report in 2003.
“Climate change has caused the growing seasons to get longer and warmer, leading to higher pollen counts in both spring and fall,” the release says.
Ragweed usually starts pollinating in most states in August and peaks in mid-September, but warmer fall temperatures have caused an extension.
For people with asthma, fall pollen allergies come with an increased risk. About 25 million people in the U.S. have asthma, according to data from the CDC. From those 25 million, 60 to 80 percent of those people have allergic asthma, which is the most common type of asthma.
“We see spikes of in emergency room visits that coincide with spikes in pollen seasons... so it is important to address and manage asthma and allergy triggers where you live,” said Kenneth Mendez, CEO and president and CEO of AAFA.
One resource people can use to address allergy triggers is AirNow, a real-time tool that allows users to track the air quality where they live. The website rates air quality in numerical sequence from 50 being “good” to 500 being “hazardous.”
This story was originally published September 28, 2022 at 2:41 PM.