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Patients allergic to outdoor allergens can avoid many allergens by following
pollen count reports in the newspapers and on radio and television, which tend to run from
late April until the end of August. Pollen reports and associated information can also be found
at:
BBC Weather more
National Pollen Research Unit (UK) more
European Pollen Information more
National Pollen Networks (US) more
A text message service offering daily information on pollen counts can
be accessed
after registration here
ARIA (Allergic Rhinitis And Its Impact On Asthma) more |
5 April 2003
• Masks can help when gardening (Letters) more
28 March 2003
• International guideline on pharmacy management of hay fever published more
• Management of hay fever in the pharmacy PDF (65K)
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Pollen counts
The pollen count is the number of pollen grains per cubic metre of air sampled,
averaged over 24 hours. Low pollen counts (0–30 pollen grains per m3) are generally associated
with symptoms only in patients who are very sensitive to outdoor allergens. Most sufferers
will start to experience symptoms when the count reaches the moderate category (30–49 pollen
grains per m3), while almost all would be symptomatic at high (50–149 pollen grains per m3)
and very high (>150 pollen grains per m3) levels.
Pollen counts are affected by the amount of sunshine or rain and the speed
and direction of the wind. In rural areas, peak pollen times occur between 7 and 11am and also
between 4 and 7pm. In cities, peaks occur in late afternoon and early evening. |
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