Spring is bursting out all over … achoo!

By Chen Meiling | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2021-03-30 15:15

Zhang Luo, president of Beijing Tongren Hospital, checks a patient. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

As the temperature warms, leaves turn green and flowers bloom. But Beijing resident Zheng Gaoshan, 38, doesn't enjoy the spring scenery much, as outings often end up with a lot of sneezing, a stuffy runny nose and itchy swollen eyes.

Zheng is one of more than 250 million Chinese people with allergic rhinitis.

"Every year from March to April, I have to take a number of anti-allergy drugs and use nasal spray and eye drops to ease the symptoms, which seem to have worsened over the years," he said. "If I didn't take any counter measures, my eyes may not be able to open, as if they were soaked in smoke from barbecue booth."

Zheng was tested for around 30 allergens at a hospital in 2018. The result showed his allergy was caused by Sabina chinensis, a common plant in the city.

"I refuse to visit any parks or mountains during spring to keep away from the plant, but meeting them on the street is unavoidable," he said.

Every spring, when the pollen concentration rises, the nose and throat departments of hospitals will be packed, as pollen has become the major outdoor factor for many Chinese suffering from allergic rhinitis, according to a recent study by Beijing Tongren Hospital, a top hospital in the country.

Incidence of the disease has been growing in China in recent years to reach 18 percent of the population, according to the hospital's survey. Besides nose-related symptoms, it can also lead to lung disease, asthma, insomnia, anxiety and depression if not controlled properly, according to experts.

"Allergies are closely related to the economic development level of society. In less-developed countries, children contact bacteria and viruses in the environment more often, which promotes their immune system, so they are less likely to experience allergies when they grow up," said Zhang Luo, president of the hospital.

"Allergic rhinitis used to be widespread in some developed Western countries only. But the incidence has steadily increased in China, especially among children and young adults. As the economy develops, more Chinese will have the disease."

After analyzing more than 10,000 cases, Zhang's team indentified five to eight common allergens in northeastern, northern, central and southern areas of China to help patients figure out their allergens quickly.

In Beijing, for example, the most common allergenic pollens in spring include those from the large-fruited elm tree, Cathay poplar, ash, acacia and white birch.

The team set up pollen monitoring stations in 17 cities in China. In Beijing, together with the Beijing Meteorological Service, the stations provide daily pollen broadcast services for residents from March to October since 2010. The pollen concentration is expected to reach its second-highest level in a six-level rating system on Wednesday.

"As the country experiences pollen season, self-protection and targeted treatment are important," Zhang said. "For example, when the pollen concentration is high, patients should reduce their outdoor activities and wear face masks and goggles when they go out. It's helpful to take immunity-modulating drugs in advance before symptoms appear, and continue to use medicines based on a doctor's guidance until the pollen season passes."

Allergic rhinitis is caused by both the external environment — which includes air pollution and pollen — and internal factors, in which heredity and an individual's immune system come into play. It is still a global challenge because the pathogenesis is unclear and current treatments cannot delay progression of the disease, he added.

"In addition, most allergens are closely linked to human living environments and are impossible to simply wipe out."

He suggested enhancing medical research, raising public awareness and making current treatment methods accessible to more people.

It will also help to place allergic rhinitis under the national chronic disease supervision, prevention and treatment system, as well as planting flowers, trees and grass that induce fewer allergic reactions in city landscaping, he said.

Sublingual immunotherapy — which gives small doses of what a person is allergic to under the tongue, to increase "immunity" or tolerance to the allergen and reduces the allergic symptoms — was approved by the National Medical Products Administration, and should be in the market soon, Zhang said. The therapy will benefit a lot of patients allergic to artemisia pollen in northwestern areas. Monoclonal antibody-related drugs may also offer good options for the treatment of allergies in the future.

With the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics approaching, Zhang's research is focusing on nasal inflammation caused by dry, cold air, to offer diagnosis and treatment advice for athletes who may confront the problem.

Related research by Zhang about allergic rhinitis was published in February in a special China edition of Allergy, the world's top medical journal specializing in the issue. For the first time in the 73-year-old journal's history, it published 23 papers by Chinese experts on topics such as allergy science, nose science, respiratory medicine and COVID-19.

Wu Liangyou, deputy director of the disease prevention and control bureau of the National Health Commission, said this showed the world's recognition of Chinese achievements in the allergy field.

"The incidence of allergic diseases has been growing in China. In recent years, significant progress has been made in prevention and control policies, and in diagnosis and treatment strategies. But there are still great challenges. The country will invest more in this segment," he said.