Spring with pollen: Allergy sufferers in Linz suffer and seek help!

Spring with pollen: Allergy sufferers in Linz suffer and seek help!

In the Linz Allergy Center at the Kepler University Hospital, numerous pollen allergy sufferers are currently experiencing intense symptoms. Stuffy noses, watery eyes and even breathing problems plague many patients in particular during this peak season. Around 5,000 allergy patients are treated here every year, including around 500 children. Wolfram Hötzenecker, the head of the center, explains that hay fever sufferers in particular are increasingly seeking help as the pollen season begins earlier and earlier due to mild winters. Meteorologists confirm that last year the pollen season started two to three weeks earlier than usual, which made the situation even more difficult for allergy sufferers. This early exposure can be seen in the mild climate changes of recent years, as noted by meteorologist Josef Haslhofer from GeoSphere Austria, who predicts that such developments will become more common in the future.

Diverse therapeutic approaches in the allergy center

The Allergy Center offers a variety of therapeutic approaches to help those affected. If allergies are suspected, a specific allergy test is carried out first, followed by the prescription of anti-allergic medication such as eye drops, nasal sprays or tablets to relieve symptoms. According to Hötzenecker, most pollen allergy sufferers experience only mild to moderate symptoms, but there are also patients who suffer from severe symptoms, including asthma, which requires early intervention. The interdisciplinary collaboration between the departments of dermatology, pulmonology and otolaryngology at Kepler University Hospital ensures that patients receive comprehensive care so that they can experience improvement as quickly as possible, as the Official Page of Kepler University Hospital highlights.

However, there is a ray of hope for all those who are suffering from the current pollen situation: the weather forecasts point to rain, which could clean the air of the polluting pollen. This could provide relief, especially for allergy sufferers, until the next wave of pollen arrives.