Allergy sufferers may be in for a long s(n)eason

Monday, April 8, 2002 | 11:13 a.m.

The first wave of sneeze-producing, congestion-inducing pollen of the spring season already has peaked, but allergy sufferers may not get much relief.

Still to come are olive trees' blooms and a summer's worth of grass production.

Combined with the dust that kicks up year-round in the Las Vegas Valley, residents can find themselves wheezing and sniffling for seven to 10 months a year, allergist Dr. Joram Seggev said.

"Las Vegas has lousy air from a combination of pollen, dust and dry air," Seggev said.

The mulberry trees started the allergy season last month, sprouting feathery pollen dispensers that look like caterpillars.

Mulberry pollen counts reached dangerous levels for sensitive people during the week of March 26, which was the peak of production for the common trees, Monty Symmonds of the Clark County Air Quality Division said.

The highest counts this year hit 40,000 pollen particles per cubic yard of air, though mulberry has soared into the 60,000 range in years past, he said.

Older neighborhoods with larger trees had it worst, Clark County Health District Director of Nursing Fran Cortney said. The pollen fell on cars, sidewalks and rooftops, making humans suffer.

Even Las Vegans who haven't felt the pollens' effect in the past may find themselves hurting, Seggev said.

Plenty of people arriving in Las Vegas will, after a few years, develop sensitivities, he said. A few years of exposure will eventually break down the body's defenses against particular pollens, especially among people predisposed to allergies, he said.

"If you want to cure your allergies altogether, change your parents and live in a plastic bubble," Seggev said.

Left untreated, allergies can lead to sinus infections, ear infections and asthma, he said.

"I know that there are a lot of problems this time of year," Cortney said. "It seems after you've been here for a few years, everybody develops some type of allergy."

The trouble is the sneezing season has just started.

"It has all the potential for a long, hot summer," Cortney said.

On days when the wind blows, most allergy sufferers do best by staying indoors, she said. Air conditioners in homes and cars can filter out the pollen particles.

Homeowners whose mulberry trees still are blooming can reduce the pollen by hosing them down during dry spells, Cortney said. There are also sprays for older olive trees, which are expected to begin blooming in earnest this month, to prevent them from pollinating.

There's also relief beyond over-the-counter antihistamines that can put a grown man to sleep, Seggev said. Doctors can prescribe long-lasting drugs developed in the past few years to make life a little more bearable, he said.