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Allergy sufferers face little reprieve this year

Tablets offer alternative therapy to shots
sneeze
photo Allan Foster/Flickr

Rising temperatures appear to be boosting seasonal allergies, and studies have shown tree pollination is being prolonged.

“We also expect that pollen counts will likely go higher with global warming,” said Dr. Amin Kanani. “There are a lot of studies that have shown that there’s more budding and more growth of some of these allergenic trees and grasses and plants.”

Kanani, who sees allergy sufferers at his South Granville office, serves as a consultant to St. Paul’s Hospital’s division of allergy and immunology and is also as a clinical associate professor at the University of B.C. He has already seen patients suffering the effects of tree pollen this year.

The season of the mainly alder and birch tree scourge stretches into May.
Spring offers little reprieve for seasonal allergy sufferers. Grass pollen invades the environment from May to early August.

“There’s also a mould, which can be a perennial allergen if you’ve got indoor mould issues and it can also be an outdoor allergen because it does tend to grow on dead grass, dead leaves at the end of summer and through the fall,” Kanani said.

Other common allergens are dust mites and dander from cats and dogs. Kanani said research indicates there’s no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog.

Those sensitive to dust mites should keep their windows closed, eschew hanging their clothes outside to dry, invest in a mattress cover and ensure their bedding is washable and not stuffed with feathers, which collect dust mites. Hard surface flooring is best.

Non-sedating antihistamines can provide symptom relief, as can saline rinses for mild nasal congestion. Prescription nasal spray and eye drops are better than over-the-counter varieties.

Allergy shots have long been an alternative for sufferers and a new option has sprouted up in the past year for those tormented by grass. Health Canada has approved a tablet that those allergic to grass slip under their tongue for six months of the year.

“Europe has been a bit ahead of us in this field and they do have other allergens available there,” Kanani said. “We’re waiting for Health Canada approval for these products.”

Kanani said studies show that taking the tablets for three consecutive years can increase relief for at least two years.

Tablets are taken at home and boast a lower risk of causing a reaction than allergy shots. Doctors administer shots, and patients must wait at a physician’s office 30 minutes afterward in case they have a bad reaction.

Doctors initially administer allergy shots weekly and eventually, in most cases, monthly, for up to five years.

Studies suggest a lack of vitamin E in a woman’s diet during pregnancy and a lack of vitamin D could be contributing to increasing allergy rates. Kanani said omega-3 fatty acids from oily fish including salmon, mackerel and sardines have shown to be beneficial to people with allergies, but supplements are not as effective.

Kanani books new patients six to 12 months in advance and he says lengthy waiting lists are common.

“Attracting allergists to B.C. has been difficult,” he said. “Part of the reason is that, unfortunately, remuneration is better in many of the other provinces.”

An allergist-training program started at UBC two years ago to help lessen the shortage.

For more information, Kanani recommended the websites of the Allergy/Asthma Information Association, Anaphylaxis Canada, the World Allergy Organization and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

crossi@vancourier.com
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