The high temperatures and rains of February have changed the expected scenarios and will mean for a large part of allergic Spaniards a real headache that will not last long: the pollen will remain in the environment longer, which will cause the symptoms of the allergy are more persistent.

This has been indicated by those responsible for the Spanish Society of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (SEAIC), who have drawn the map of the most affected areas. Pollination of grasses, cypress and shade plantain will be moderate to intense in Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Madrid, much of Andalusia and Extremadura. In the rest it will be mild.

Very mild spring. 300 grains/m3 (Tenerife, Las Palmas)

Light spring: Asturias, Cantabria, Galicia, Navarra, Basque Country, Rioja.

1500 grains/m3 (La Coruña, Logroño). 2000 grains/m3 (Lugo, Pontevedra, Orense, Santander, Bilbao, San Sebastián, Pamplona, ??Oviedo, Vitoria)

Mild spring: Balearic Islands, Catalonia, Valencian Community, Murcia

Light spring: Aragon.

Moderate-intense spring: Castilla-León, Castilla-La Mancha

Intense spring: Madrid (6000 grains/m3) and Toledo (7000 grains/m3)

Very mild spring: Almería

Light spring: Cádiz, Malaga

Moderate spring: Córdoba, Granada and Huelva.

Intense spring: Badajoz, Cáceres, Seville, Jaén.

<1000 grains/m3 (Almería)- 7000-12000 grains/m3 (Cáceres and Badajoz)

Experts assure that climate change affects the timing, dispersion, quantity and quality of allergens, as well as the distribution and severity of allergic diseases. The increase in temperatures and the lack of precipitation have been positioned as determining factors in the time and form of plant pollination, thus influencing the symptoms of allergic patients.

“Consequently, the incidence of respiratory diseases such as asthma, allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis increases. Furthermore, the distribution and quantity of pollen in urban areas changes, as well as the periods and duration of seasons with higher pollen levels,” says Professor Carmen Andreu, secretary of the SEAIC.

What can allergy sufferers do? Go to the allergist as soon as possible to start appropriate treatment. Something basic when a change has been proven in the pattern of the allergic patient towards a greater complexity of clinical cases due to polysensitization, that is, sensitivity to different allergens.