With the advent of the spring season in the capital, the number of patients suffering from pollen allergies has witnessed a sharp increase at the city’s hospitals and clinics. Talking to a private news channel, Dr Ayaz Saeed said pollen allergy symptoms include sneezing and a runny nose, itching and watery eyes, coughing, difficulty in breathing, wheezing and eventually attacks of asthma.
In addition, there may be itching on the skin accompanied by gastro-intestinal problems in some cases.
He advised pollen allergy patients to avoid eating spicy food: “Do not use perfumes, avoid walking in the garden, use wet cloths for dusting, avoid using carpets, do not open car windows, use vacuum cleaners, use sun glasses when outdoors and avoid using hot water. These are the measures which can control it to a limited extent.” According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) the atmospheric concentration of the pollen of pines, grass and cannabis is high in the federal capital. The PMD advised the individuals sensitive to pollen to take precautionary measures. “The trend in allergic pollen will change and the concentration of paper mulberry pollen will also increase and dominate the other allergic pollen after mid of March,” the Met
Office said.