By Michael Johnsen
Higher pollen counts have been observed earlier this year versus seasons past, thanks in part to warmer weather in February. A cold front through March didn’t do much to dampen pollen counts, and the numbers are expected to pick right back up with the warmer weather as the calendar passes from spring into summer.
By mid-April, Experts at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) had estimated that this season’s allergy incidence levels were
already between 20 percent and 25 percent
higher than last year. According to the AAAAI, estimates from a skin test survey
suggest that allergies affect more than 50
million people in the United States.
Chronic sinusitis affects nearly 37 million people in the United States, driving an estimated 18 million office visits to primary care physicians each year.
Allergic rhinitis is believed to affect 20
percent of all adults and up to 40 percent of children, resulting in approximately 16. 7 million physician office visits each year.
A recent survey of more than 35,000
households sponsored by Sepracor confirmed that allergies are extremely prevalent among children. According to the research conducted by Schulman, Ronca and Bucuvalas, 14 percent of all households with children reported symptoms of hay fever, allergic rhinitis or nasal allergies, which accounts for about 3. 1 million U.S. households. In a more in-depth interview with this group—approximately,
500 households—33 percent had been
diagnosed with hay fever, 74 percent with nasal allergies, and 26 percent with allergic rhinitis. (Because many households include more than one child, these numbers do not add up to 100 percent.)
Allergy symptoms were reported to have at least a moderate effect on the
lives of 25 percent of children with nasal
allergies. At least 60 percent of children reported missing school because of nasal allergies, and allergies interfered with performance at school in more than 40 percent of children.
Indeed, allergies impact kids in more ways than just suffering from symptoms, noted Dr. Eli Meltzer, who assisted with the survey as part of the Allergy and Asthma Medical Group and Research Center in San Diego. “It’s affecting their sleep, their performance at school and their sports activities— it’s more than just a runny nose, it’s a disease,” he told Pharmacy TechNews.
In interviews with parents, children with nasal allergies reported a 30 percent decrease in productivity when allergy symptoms were at their worst. “Clearly this is [a signal] that we need to intervene, we need to recognize these children and be more aggressive in our interventions to make them feel better,” Meltzer said. l
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