Spring is here in Chile, flowers, sunshine and allergies

The duration of day and night will be exactly the same this Saturday due to the so-called alignment of the planet Uranus with the equator.

Starting tomorrow, the light period will begin to grow, trees will gradually regain their leaves, and the landscape will become greener and greener.

However, these advantages come with a corresponding problem: seasonal allergies, a problem that affects about 40% of the world’s population and that many Chileans cannot escape.

During this period, trees begin to pollinate, then grasses and finally weeds, said Elisa Pereira, a specialist at the University of Los Andes Clinic.

This means there is more pollen suspended in the air, which when breathed in can trigger an immune response and cause some discomfort in susceptible people.

He added that there are four main types of seasonal allergies in spring: rhinitis, asthma, dermatitis and conjunctivitis, which appear depending on the type of pollen causing the reaction.

The situation in the city of Santiago is more complicated because, in addition to large amounts of grass, ash, cypress and olive trees, there are also high concentrations of dust and other substances, Pereira was quoted by the biweekly newspaper The Clinic. contamination particles.

On the contrary, at beaches and humid coastal areas, the main allergy is caused by mites and is a typical allergy symptom in winter.

Santiago, Chile, September 23, 2023
Digital Chronicle/PL