Wichita ranks sixth for seasonal allergies in the U.S.

Wichita could be in for a doozy of an allergy season this year.

The dry, windy weather that wreaked havoc on wildfires last week could mean more pollen in the air, too, because the pollen spreads quicker in dry, windy conditions.

And a mild winter, like the one in Kansas this year, often signifies earlier allergy seasons because trees pollinate sooner.

Wichita ranked sixth in the nation this year for the “Most Challenging Places to Live with Spring Allergies,” according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

The foundation releases a yearly ranking of 100 cities called Spring Allergy Capitals.

Wichita ranked first for allergies among Midwest cities.

The report uses pollen scores, allergy medicine usage and availability of board-certified allergists to determine the ranks.

Meda Pharmaceuticals, a company that makes allergy medication, paid for the report.

Pollen in the air

Pollen count is measured by the number of pollen grains in a cubic meter of air. The higher the number, the more people will likely suffer with allergies.

Pollen.com – a site developed by IMS Health, a research and consulting company that also manufacturers pollen counting tools – classifies 9.7 to 12 as a high pollen count in the air.

The site’s pollen forecast for Wichita showed a pollen count of 9.8 Saturday with an increase to 11.3 Tuesday.

The site’s pollen map of the U.S. showed the majority of high pollen areas spanned northeast from Texas through northern Missouri on Friday. Northern states had the lowest amount of allergens.

A researcher at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology predicts pollen counts will more than double by 2040, according to a 2012 study. The study attributes the rise to climate change.

Trees to blame

Most of Wichita’s pollen comes from elm trees, juniper trees and maple trees, according to Pollen.com.

Jay Portnoy, director of allergy, asthma immunology for Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., said this year’s early warm weather gave trees plenty of time to make extra pollen for the spring season.

The Anderson Creek wildfire, he said, won’t affect allergy season in the long run. Particles in the air from the fire might have caused allergy flare ups for some people, but he said that would only last during the burning.

He said middle America generally has high allergy levels. But this year could prove even worse.

He said tree pollen season typically spans from February through April, but started in late January this year.

Grass pollen season then runs from April through early June.

He said grass season could go two ways this year:

Rains could help lessen high tree pollen counts, but would create more grass pollen.

Dry weather would fuel the high amount of tree pollen in the air.

“Dryness is really good for trees because rain washes pollen out of the trees,” Portnoy said.

Portnoy said a lot of the pollen in Wichita’s air likely travels by wind from Texas and Oklahoma.

McAllen, Texas, ranked fifth and Oklahoma City ranked seventh on the Allergy Capitals list.

“It (pollen) gets into the air and travels long distances and slowly accumulates over time,” Portnoy said.

Tolerance over time?

Portnoy said it is possible to build tolerance to allergens over time, but not to seasonal allergies – because, well, they’re seasonal.

He said you have to have constant exposure to the allergen in order to acclimate to it.

“You could become tolerant to pollen, if it were in the air all the time,” he said.

“It’s called the Thanksgiving effect: You grow up your whole life with your cat, you go away to college, and you come back (at Thanksgiving) and you’re allergic to the cat.”

This story was originally published April 1, 2016 at 9:17 PM with the headline "Wichita ranks sixth for seasonal allergies in the U.S.."