Pollen Allergy Essay

Seasonal changes could adversely affect the health of patients who have been diagnosed with pollen allergy. This is so because, pollen allergies are normally spread by wind and season changes tend to affect the rate as well as the intensity with which the wind does travel. There are times when the weather is windy and during this period, the spreading of the pollen grains causing the allergies is normally at a high rate compared to when it is less windy. In the article, “Never-ending Allergies? Blame multiple Pollen Seasons,” the author discusses the combined impact of tree and grass pollen on public health (Eva, 2019). The article summarizes the insight of Dr. Donald Stark, who is an allergist at the University of British Columbia. Stark claimed that people could be allergic to both tree and grass pollen that could make allergies to last the entire summer.

Moreover, he claimed that the end of the tree pollen season coincides with the commencement of the grass pollen. The article also identifies the causes of pollen allergy as either genetic or environmental (Uguen-Csenge, 2019). This implies that one’s allergy could be as a result of inheritance from the parents or people of the same genetic makeup as theirs or still, it could be as a result of the environmental conditions within which these individuals have been subjected to. For instance, children whose family has a history of pollen allergies are likely to develop the condition. Such an assertion comes from the fact that the allergic components are normally transmitted through the genes. Additionally, Stark argued that exposure to pollen could trigger the immune system that could produce antibodies to respond to pollen. Therefore, subsequent exposures could activate the immune system leading to the manifestation of symptoms such as runny nose, watery eyes, and sneezing. This explains how the condition within which an individual stays is likely to affect the manner with which they do contract allergic infections. Furthermore, poor air quality caused by events such as wildfire could irritate the respiratory system that could increase the susceptibility of an individual to pollen allergies. The article concludes by recommending activities such as lawn mowing, which could reduce their exposure to tree and grass pollen. Moreover, patients should take off the counter antihistamine that could suppress the symptoms of allergic reactions. Therefore, the article identifies the causes of pollen allergy and recommends appropriate measures to mitigate the public health issue.

Weberianism could be used to account for the increase in incidence and prevalence of tree and grass pollen allergies. The theory stipulates that a person’s wealth, social status, and political power could influence their welfare in the state. Research has indicated that the people who are mainly affected by pollen allergy are poor due to two main reasons. First, they do not have the option of changing their job even if it exposes them to pollen. In this case, they have no alternative but to work in environments that do increase their chances of contracting allergic conditions. Secondly, they could lack the funds or health insurance to access quality medication for the condition. This therefore leaves them suffering from the allergic reactions and they cannot go to the health organizations to have their problems checked up and sorted as it is supposed to be. Political power could also influence the policies that are adopted to mitigate the prevalence of the allergy. For instance, the lack of formulation and implementation of appropriate antitrust laws in the pharmaceutical sector could hinder the production and distribution of generic histamine drugs that could increase the access of poor patients to the anti-allergy drugs. Moreover, the lack of appropriate policies to minimize the occurrence of forest fire could increase the concentration of pollen in the atmosphere. Also, there could be policies that have been formulated that do ensure that the individuals working in regions or rather environments that do make them vulnerable to contracting allergy due to pollen reaction in their body have been given medical cover to ensure that they are able to get proper treatment. This is one a way with which political power could be used in the fight against allergy due to pollen reaction in the body. Finally, the political party of the current president could influence the likelihood of implementing policies such as the Affordable Care Act that could increase health insurance cover encouraging people to be tested for the allergy and to seek the appropriate medication. Alternatively, political leaders could encourage the planting of trees to improve the scenic beauty and microenvironment of cities, which could increase the presence of pollen in urban areas. Therefore the three classes of power outlined by Marx Webber could be useful in explaining the social factors that increase the incidence and prevalence of pollen allergy.

Socioeconomic status has been reported as a leading predictor for allergies. For instance, Paavolar (2017) examined the impact of climate change on health and social inequality in the US. The researcher noted that pollen grain was among the leading allergens that increased due to climate change. The primary reason for this is that weather events such as thunderstorms, and tornadoes could increase the concentration of pollen in the air. Moreover, Paavola claimed that exposure to pollen could increase the prevalence and incidence of asthma. The researchers discovered that the prevalence of asthma was higher among people of low socioeconomic status than among the upper-middle class and the rich. Additionally, people who had afro-Caribbean ethnicity were more likely to be poor than Caucasians and were more likely to be affected by pollen. The health inequality was more pronounced among rural communities that have more vegetation cover. Therefore, the study indicated that the poor are most likely to be affected by the increase of the concentration of pollen in the air that could be attributed to climate change.

The policies that are implemented by political leaders also influence the incidence and prevalence of pollen, especially in urban areas. Studies show that the administrator of cities used several landscaping elements such as trees that could have a substantial impact on the health of the residents (Lovasi et al., 2013). The primary reason for this is that trees could block the airways and the production of aeroallergens. The researcher used questionnaires and IgE antibody response to specific allergens, including tree pollen to identify how tree canopy had affected the health of Dominican and African-American children born between 1998 and 2016. The researchers discovered that tree canopy did not have a substantial impact on health for children below five years. However, for children who were aged more than seven years, some of the adverse health effects such as asthma, and tree pollen allergic sensitization were observed. Therefore, the policies that political leaders make could affect the incidence and prevalence of Pollen allergy.

References
Germov, J. (2016). Second opinion: an introduction to health sociology (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press, USA.
Lovasi, G. S., O’Neil-Dunne, J. P., Lu, J. W., Sheehan, D., Perzanowski, M. S., MacFaden, S. W., … & Perera, F. P. (2013). Urban tree canopy and asthma, wheeze, rhinitis, and allergic sensitization to tree pollen in a New York City birth cohort. Environmental Health Perspectives, 121(4), 494-500.
Paavola, J. (2017). Health impacts of climate change and health and social inequalities in the UK. Environmental Health, 16(1), 113.
Paris, R., Pagliarani, G., Savazzini, F., Aloisi, I., Iorio, R. A., Tartarini, S., … & Del Duca, S. (2017). Comparative analysis of allergen genes and pro-inflammatory factors in pollen and fruit of apple varieties. Plant Science, 264, 57-68.
Uguen-Csenge, E. (2019). Never-ending allergies? Blame multiple pollen seasons | CBC News. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/allergy-season-pollen-tree-grass-1.5180977