Tear Jerkers : Rains Prompt County’s Worst Outbreak of Hay Fever in a Decade--and Misery Isn’t Over

Watching through itchy, watery eyes for signs that the hay fever season is about to end?

Well, don’t hold your breath.

Medical experts say Los Angeles County’s recent drought-ending rains have prompted the worst hay fever outbreak in a decade. And the wheezing and scratching could continue through June.

The wet winter produced a bumper crop of spring weeds, grasses and tree buds. The recent warm weather ignited an explosion of blooms that are flinging billions of pollen particles into the air.

That’s nothing to sneeze at--unless you are the estimated one out of four people who have an underlying predisposition to pollen allergies.

Frank Cordova is one of them.

“It’s worse than I’ve ever seen it,” said the Los Angeles fire inspector who lives in South Pasadena. “Every evening when it gets cooler, I start sneezing and hacking and my eyes start itching. Same thing in the mornings. I run to exercise and when I’m through, I sneeze for 20 minutes.”

Jeff Gordon is another.

Gordon is an aviation safety inspector from Canoga Park who landed in the hospital for five days last week when he suffered an asthma attack apparently prompted in part by a reaction to pollen. When he got there, he found five others hospitalized for the same thing.

“It was as if you pinched your nose off and put your other hand over your mouth,” said Gordon, who was recovering from a case of bronchitis when the asthma hit. “It was as hard to exhale as inhale. It was the worst I’ve ever felt.”

Doctors say hay fever is easier to diagnose and treat than in the past. However, one-third of all untreated hay fever cases turn into asthma. Hay fever can also lead to other allergies, such as reactions to certain foods or to pets’ fur and dander.

“If you’re sensitive to the outdoor allergens, that increases the risk of being more sensitive to indoor environmental factors and food factors,” said Dr. Stuart Z. Epstein, a Beverly Hills allergy specialist who has seen a 40% increase in his patient load during recent weeks.

Last week’s Santa Ana winds didn’t help, either, said Dr. Sheldon Spector, a Brentwood allergist.

“The wind blows a lot of dirt in the air and brings pollen in from the desert,” Spector explained Tuesday. “The dirt makes things worse. It’s an irritant.”

Eleanor Newhouse, an official of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of Los Angeles, said recent counts taken in the Los Angeles area that measure pollen from trees, weeds, grasses and mold spores show a dramatic increase over the same period last year.

The totals for April 15 and 16 this year were 859 grains per cubic meter--contrasted to 118 grains per cubic meter for the same days during last year’s drought. Mold spores made up the vast majority of the particles captured, followed by tree pollen, Newhouse said.

But no scientific count is needed to prove to most people that spring is in the air. Their noses know.

“Our calls are way up. People want to know what is causing their sneezing and itching,” said Gerrie Kilburn, director of programs for the American Lung Assn. of Los Angeles County.

“Many of them calling in have never had problems before. This year they have problems.”

The Lung Assn. suggests looking for telltale yellow “powder” on front steps or patio tables that indicate pollen is in the air, she said. If you see it, stay indoors, close the windows, change your air conditioner filter and then turn it on.

Her group also sends out copies of a “Sneeze-Free Landscaping” brochure that lists low-pollen trees such as elms and tulip trees and flowers such as pansies and oleanders, Kilburn said.

Hay fever sufferers say the flowers they love are the ones that make them cry.

“The roses, the flowers on the hill behind my house, they trigger mine. It’s horrible,” said Anamaria Buranasakorn, a television center personnel manager who lives in Woodland Hills.

Bruce Farquharson, a downtown high-rise building engineer who lives in Canyon Country, blames the poppies that grow north of the city for his hay fever problem.

“This year they’re blooming really good. And both my nostrils are constantly running and my whole head is closed up,” Farquharson said. “The poppies make the surrounding hillsides pretty. But I think I’m looking forward to them being desolate-looking again.”

That may be weeks away, however.

“This may last until June,” warned Dr. Ellyn Ashida, an allergy specialist from Torrance. “Most of my patients realized it was going to be bad this year, but not this bad. I tell them to look out there at all the fields that were covered with brown dirt last year. Look at all the weeds that are out there this year.”

Even experts aren’t immune from real-life spring fever.

“I had a few sneezes myself the other day. So I tested myself and found I have a small allergy to olive trees,” Ashida said. She looked outside her office window.

“There one was, standing in the office parking lot.”

Behind the Sneeze

* What an Allergy Is: An allergy is a supersensitivity to substances such as pollen.

* What It Does: When an allergy sufferer breathes the dust-like pollen, histamine is released from the body’s tissues, which in turn irritates small blood vessels and causes sneezing, watery eyes and itching. A common allergic reaction is hay fever, which can lead to asthma.

* Why It’s Bad This Year: The winter’s drought-busting rain has produced a bumper crop of weeds, grasses and other plants. Los Angeles doctors say the vegetation is causing the worst outbreak of hay fever in a decade.

* What Sufferers Can Do: Medicines can reduce allergic reactions. Experts also suggest staying indoors with the windows closed, especially in the morning and late afternoon.

SOURCE: AMA Encyclopedia of Medicine, L.A. Times