BEIJING: Vigorous growth of allergenic plants due to global warming is increasing airborne pollen concentrations and prolonging the allergy season, according to Zhang Luo, president of Beijing Tongren Hospital.
He told a news conference in Beijing on Tuesday that global warming has also caused pollen belts to expand and migrate northward in China over the past 30 years.
Allergic diseases are triggered by environmental allergens, and climate change can increase exposure to them, Zhang said. About 250 million people in China suffer from allergic rhinitis, with the average prevalence rate rising from 11.1 percent in 2005 to 17.6 percent in 2011.
In northern China, springtime temperatures and humidity are low, causing allergic symptoms and increasing the number of patients with allergic rhinitis, Zhang said, while increased humidity reduces outpatient visits.
His findings were published in the new China issue of Allergy, the world’s top journal in the field of allergy science and immunology.
“Allergic diseases affect a population of over 2 billion globally, including around 400 million patients with allergic rhinitis, 300 million patients with asthma and 200 million patients with food allergies,” he said. Over the past 60 years, the prevalence of allergic diseases has been increasing year by year, with factors such as climate change, environmental pollution and changes in lifestyle playing important roles, he wrote in an editorial. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
