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Birch pollen allergy - symptoms, causes and treatment
What helps with an allergy to birch pollen?
At last the snow has disappeared, the flowers are blooming and the sun is awakening. Those who are allergic to birch pollen, however, enjoy less spring. Birch pollen allergy is one of the most aggressive pollen allergies. But that's not all: birches also distribute more pollen to the environment than other plants. The pollen is so fine that it also blows into buildings.
contents
- What helps with an allergy to birch pollen?
- Facts for birch pollen allergy sufferers
- This is how birches spread
- mast years
- Iron deficiency as allergen
- Inflammation due to fine dust
- risk areas
- Scary is about to go over the moor - for allergy sufferers
- confusion
- Symptoms of birch pollen allergy
- risks
- Treatment of allergy to birch pollen
- cross allergies
- The diagnosis counts
- Hyposensibilisierung
- Protection against birch pollen
- What can allergy sufferers pay attention to?
- climate Change
Facts for birch pollen allergy sufferers
- A birch produces up to 100 million pollen.
- Between 5 and 50% of people in Western and Central Europe suffer from birch pollen-related hay fever - depending on the region.
- Birch pollen allergy sufferers are also sensitive to pollens of related species of the order Fagales. These are alders, beeches, chestnuts, hornbeams and oaks.
- Four out of five sufferers have cross allergies to other plant products.
A birch allergy is particularly unpleasant for those affected because it is one of the most aggressive pollen allergies.(Image: Wolfilser / fotolia.com)
This is how birches spread
Birches grow into erect crowns, the branches are thin and hang from the crown to the ground. The flowers are green-yellow and form kitties like willows. The wind bites off the female flowers.
mast years
Every two years, birches release a large amount of pollen - scientists speak of fattening years. Every two years, pollen allergy sufferers are seriously endangered. The pollen of the tree is tiny and looks like a white-yellow powder. Under the microscope, the individual pollen turn out to be slightly angular - with the naked eye they look like bullets.
Iron deficiency as allergen
The pollen are harmless. However, iron deficiency prevails and they develop into allergens. Molecular pockets in the birch cell bind the iron. Without iron, the pockets remain empty, and so the pollen protein turns into a substance that can trigger allergic reactions.
Presumably, air pollution leads to increased iron deficiency in birch pollen, which increases the number of allergies.
Inflammation due to fine dust
Birch pollen can also cause inflammation through particulate matter. The cause is above all the particles of diesel soot. These bind to the surface of the pollen and promote the production of lipid mediators. The pollen release them when inhaled on the nasal mucosa - it comes to inflammation with symptoms such as a cold.
risk areas
In cities, there are fewer birches than on the flat land. They love Lich and grow in mixed forests, avenues, parks and at field borders. Sand birch and moor birch trees indicate that the trees thrive in extreme locations as well - in acid soil as in nutrient-poor sand.
Birch trees grow among others in mixed forests and are easily recognizable by their characteristic white bark. (Image: luisawhr / fotolia.com) The trees have little problem with cold and therefore became the leading trees in Central Europe after the last ice age. As the temperatures rose, oaks, beeches and coniferous trees prevailed. In addition, other tree species were economically more profitable, so that hardly any birches can be found in the forest.
They occur in about 40 different species from temperate latitudes to the subarctic in the northern hemisphere. The genus is closely related to alder, hazelnut and hornbeam. Around the ten birch species are cultivated as garden plants. These are pioneering plants that populate difficult locations first, allowing other plants to take root.
Scary is about to go over the moor - for allergy sufferers
Risk area number 1 for birch pollen allergy sufferers are dehydrated high moors. Look for areas where peat is mined. The more water a bog contains, the less birch will grow. In renatured bogs under the supervision of conservationists, the risk is lower. To renaturate a bog, these trees are removed first.
They still prevail in moors and sandy soils, they are typical in the transition from the heath to the forest. In the high mountains and in the far north of Russia and Scandinavia dwarf birches are the only deciduous trees that survive. Allergy sufferers must be careful where other trees are too moist, too dry, too nutrient-poor or too acidic.
There is no complete protection outside of birch pollen. The wind spreads the fine pollen over hundreds of kilometers. The peak season is April, when the birch trees are in full bloom. The pollen stays in the air until June. Fortunately for allergy sufferers, the trees are easy to recognize: they have a black and white trunk on which the bark rolls off.
confusion
The pollen is much harder to recognize by laymen than the trees. Mixing up is especially possible with hazel and alder pollen. The alders are oval, those of the birch are round. However, some alder pollen are so round that they can only be guessed as oval. If the shape (round or oval) can not be recognized, it is indistinguishable from the pollen of alder from tetraporatic birch pollen. If the pollen flies late, then the pollen from alder and birch overlap in early April.
At first glance, birch pollen can be easily mistaken for hazel or alder pollen. (Photo: sunnychicka / fotolia.com) Symptoms of birch pollen allergy
A birch allergy they notice itching in the eyes and nose. Mucous membranes in the throat swell and they sneeze. The symptoms are the same as those of a cold, and it is only in the long run that sufferers recognize that it is not a flu infection.
risks
Some people "get used" to their allergy. They "plan" the complaints in the spring, according to the motto "that's the way it is". The things "to take as they are" can have serious consequences. An allergy sometimes causes chronic asthma.
If the mucous membranes ignite strongly and over and over again, at some point the tissue itself will be damaged. Therefore, if you have an allergy, be sure to visit a doctor. For the diagnosis, there is a prick test, and if the "wrongdoer" is known, the therapy can start.
Treatment of allergy to birch pollen
In a simple allergy, a drug helps to stop the symptoms. These remedies can be dripped into the eyes, like a nose, or taken as tablets. A normal birch allergy is not a problem. With the funds from the pharmacy you survive the spring largely without discomfort.
cross allergies
An allergy test is also useful because birch pollen can trigger cross-allergies. These are allergies, in which the reaction to a substance that attracts others. Half of those affected show similar symptoms with apples, pears, cherries or nuts.
Cross-allergies are also found in celery, legumes and soy products. In the case of junk food, these are found, for example, in soup powder, ready-to-seasoned wort, bread, ketchup, baked goods or coffee whiteners.
In soybeans, the stress protein Gly m4 causes cross-reactions that resemble the birch pollen allergen Bet-v-1. Whether there is a critical dose for this cross reaction is unknown. It has been proven that cross-reactions already occur on contact with mucous membranes. About 10 to 20% of all pollen allergy sufferers have a cross allergy with soybean protein.
All clear for fermented and heated soy products. In these Gly m 4 is destroyed. Birch pollen allergy sufferers can easily eat miso soup and use soya sauces. Caution is advised with tofu, soy flakes or soy drinks. Soya in food must be indicated on the product.
In the prick test, various allergen solutions are dripped onto the skin to check which allergens cause an allergic reaction in the patient. (Image: Gerhard Seybert / fotolia.com) The diagnosis counts
Pollen allergy and hay fever are "tricky". Even those who react to birch pollen during the prick test do not have to be allergic to them. Often there is a cross reaction with allergens of grass pollen. The pollen season of birch and grass pollen overlaps, and we both pick up at the same time. In addition, the triggers Bet v2 and Phl p-12 occur in the pollen of various plants.
A study led by Prof. Thilo Biedermann showed: Only 433 of 349 patients who reacted positively to Bet-v-1 were sensitive to the birch pollen allergen Bet-v-1. 15 of the participants responded only to Bet-v-2.
Cross reactions between birch and grass pollen depend on the dose, according to Biedermanns study. Those who reacted to birch pollen only on the panallergen Bet-v-2, showed to be less sensitive to the allergens of grass pollen.
Hyposensibilisierung
This therapy takes a long time and is recommended for a strong allergic reaction. Here, the doctor slowly accustoms the body to the allergy-causing substance by administering it to the patient in small doses.
The procedure corresponds to a vaccination. The allergic people contain the allergen injected under the skin, and so the body should adjust to it. For birch pollen, this method is only 60% to 70% successful. The treatment is complex. At intervals of several weeks, the patient has to go to the doctor several times to get an injection.
In sublingual immunotherapy, those affected take the allergen as drops or tablets. Research here is still at the pioneer stage. Doctors hope to treat patients who do not tolerate injections.
In the worst case, the sprayed allergen can trigger an allergic shock. There is danger to life here. A syringe therapy immunizes against the allergy for seven to twelve years - if the treatment succeeds.
Protection against birch pollen
The pollen of birch trees is a "devil's stuff". He settles in carpets as well as in towels, bed linen and clothes. Allergy sufferers often have itchy eyes, even though they move in confined spaces where there is not a single birch far and wide.
There are pollen guards for windows and doors that also keep insects away. Regular sucking reduces the amount of pollen. Allergy sufferers can clean their clothes when they have moved outside. Air purifiers in the home also reduce the number of pollen.
Allergy sufferers should absolutely stay away from birch trees. (Image: drubig-photo / fotolia.com) What can allergy sufferers pay attention to?
Are you allergic to birch pollen? Then you can consider the following in the risk time in April:
1) Reduce physical reactions outdoors, especially in hotspots such as sandhill, heathland and bogs.
2) Avoid alcohol. Beer, wine and brandy contain histamine, which aggravates the symptoms.
3) Change the bed linen every week, wipe daily smooth surfaces in the apartment.
4) Dry the laundry indoors or in the tumble dryer - never outside.
5) Wash your hair before you go to bed because the pollen sticks in your hair.
6) Ventilate your home only when there are few pollen on the way. In the city, this is the case in the early morning, on the open country after dark.
7) As a sufferer you should not plant birch in the garden and remove wild specimens.
8) Avoid flower shops. Birch branches with pollen are popular for floral arrangements. Tell your friends not to give them flowers with birch deco.
climate Change
Climate change causes birch pollen to be earlier in the air because of higher temperatures. In a mild winter, allergy sufferers should exercise caution in February. The higher amount of carbon dioxide increases the amount of pollen. Allergies to the pollen of birch trees are increasing. (Dr. Utz Anhalt)
Specialist supervision: Barbara Schindewolf-Lensch (doctor)