Louisiana’s capital city became a capital of airborne pollen and mold this month.On Oct. 2, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America named Baton Rouge No. 15 of 100 U.S. cities on its fall list of Allergy Capitals — the most challenging places to live for people with allergies.New Orleans ranked No. 14, and McAllen, Texas topped the list.More than 50 million Americans suffer from allergies of different types, according to the AAFA. In 2006, 8 percent of adults were diagnosed with allergic rhinitis, or “hay fever,” according to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology.The Allergy Capital factors for the rankings include seasonal pollen counts, allergy medicine utilization per patient and the number of board-certified allergists per allergy patient in the city. Baton Rouge scored “worse than average” in medicine utilization per patient and pollen score. The city was average for the number of certified allergists per 10,000 residents.Baton Rouge has seven board-certified allergists in the surrounding area.Of the students surveyed in the spring 2008 National College Health Assessment from the American College Health Association, 47.9 percent reported allergy problems. The University’s spring 2008 NCHA results showed 55.4 percent of student surveyed reported allergy problems. The report was the last available numbers from the University.According to Student Health Center numbers, there have been nearly 500 primary care visits for allergic rhinitis from July 2008 to Aug. 31, 2009. The number is a decrease from previous years — 629 in the 2007-08 school year, and 856 for the 2005-06 year, after Katrina hit.From Aug. 1, 2008, to Aug. 31, 2009, the Health Center dispensed 22,640 tablets for allergy medication prescriptions. More than 500 students received allergy medication over the counter. James Kidd, Baton Rouge allergist, said south Louisiana’s humid climate and vegetation provide a welcoming environment for pollen and mold to linger.”We have a growing season here that’s year-round,” Kidd said of Baton Rouge’s pollen counts.The pollen season starts as early as January with cypress tree pollination, and March through November is pollen season for various grasses, he said. Year-round allergens from pollution, cat and dog dander, house dust mites and mold and spores are also constant presences to those with allergy problems.Krisie Woodley, English junior, said the temperature fluctuations in Louisiana’s climate upset her allergies. She said drops from “90 degrees to 50” trigger her attacks. “When I was in California, I didn’t have allergies,” Woodley said. Kidd said there are three main treatments for those who suffer from seasonal allergies. The first is environmental control.”Avoid the allergen if you can,” he said. “Put the cat outside.”He said encasing a mattress in plastic can cut down on dust mite infestation. He said most pollen is released from 4 a.m. to noon every day, so Kidd suggests students perform as many outdoor activities as possible in the afternoons.The second treatment is medication, usually antihistamines, like Benadryl. If sinusitis, a complication of allergic rhinitis where an infection occurs in the sinus cavity from lingering mucus, is the problem, antibiotics are needed, Kidd said. If allergy attacks become chronic, oral or injected steroids are needed.Allergy shots, which lower the “allergic threshold,” are another common treatment and make a patient less susceptible to allergy attacks, Kidd said.”An allergy is an overreaction,” Kidd said. “Shots decrease that overreaction.” For allergen control, Kidd suggests allergen air filters for college dormitories or apartments.”Virtually all allergies are treatable,” Kidd said.
 
 
 
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