RAWALPINDI: The prevalence of allergies has increased, with the start of the spring season, and the number of patients visiting the hospitals needed to be undertaken by adopting preventive measures, said Dr Muhammad Aslam, Professor of Benazir Bhutto Hospital.
The Professor Dr Aslam told reporter that the pollen season generally started in the first week of March, peaked during the second fortnight of the month, and decreased by the middle of April in the Rawalpindi region.
Dr Aslam informed that the pollen allergy symptoms were sneezing, itchy and runny nose, red and watery eyes, cough, blocking of the nose, blocked sinuses, and extreme tiredness.
He advised the pollen allergy patients to continue taking allergy medicine during the season, adding if the symptoms continued during medication, consult the allergy specialists.
He said that plants release tiny pollen grains to fertilize other plants of the same species each spring, summer and fall.
The Dr, who is also the head of the ENT department of BBH, said that most of the pollen that causes allergic responses comes from wild mulberry trees.
“Washing hands several times a day is very important, and allergy patients should cover their mouth with a handkerchief, masks or tissue paper when coughing, ” he added.
The Professor warned that people with asthma and respiratory diseases would experience severe consequences due to a sharp increase in pollen absorptions.
He advised the allergy patients not to visit the gardens, forests and jogging tracks in green areas./395