Breathing uneasily

Ah, springtime in Cape Girardeau.

The dogwoods. Sniff. The beautiful parks. Honk! The poetic hills and valleys. Hack, hack! The nostalgic Mississippi Riv, Riv, Riv ... Achoo!

In Southeast Missouri, where noses run as fast as the rivers, mold and a vast range of pollinating trees and plants team up like supervillains set out to destroy the day.

The allergy conditions don't get much worse than they are here, and the consequences range from annoying sniffles to life-changing adjustments.

"It's a pretty bad place," said Michael Critchlow, an allergy doctor in Cape Girardeau. "The Mississippi River basin, especially the lower half, is the worst in the U.S. Over the years, St. Louis and New Orleans have been designated the worst allergy cities, so we're right in there."

Critchlow said the allergies were not unusually bad early this spring, but once the cold weather broke, everything started to bloom at once.

"This is a real tough time," said Robert Sacha, a doctor who specializes in asthma. "The worst days of all are the warm, windy days. It's the most beautiful time of the year, but when you get to going outside for golfing and gardening, it makes people miserable."

According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, an estimated 50 million to 60 million people in the United States suffer from allergies.

The same organization ranks St. Louis as the fifth-worst allergy city in the country in its 2004 rankings and the worst in the country as far as spring pollen levels.

Agricultural effects

Some might consider the Cape Girardeau region even worse, considering it is an agricultural region.

Nine-year-old Eli Whitten, who lives near Vanduser, Mo., knows this all too well.

Eli had to go to a Cape Girardeau doctor Friday because of a sinus infection -- the result of allergies. Eli has had allergies since he was an infant, and the allergies have prevented him from doing things on the farm that he'd like to do.

"I don't get to go out on the tractor with my dad," he said.

His mother, Alexie, said it's especially bad once farmers begin tilling the ground because it releases the mold spores that were just beneath the surface.

The Whittens have gone to great lengths to try to control Eli's allergies. They even pulled up the carpeting in their home and have gone with hardwood floors, which has helped, Alexie Whitten said.

Casey Brennan, a 20-year-old college student, was miserable Friday.

"I left my windows open last night and I feel awful," she said. "I get a sore throat and dry eyes. It's just a hassle. Icky."

A recent study reported that 94 percent of allergy sufferers reported a decline in their quality of life, including areas such as work productivity, sleep, concentration and sex.

The science of allergies has increased in recent years and there are a number of new medications available, including some over-the-counter pills that were once prescription drugs.

"There are antihistamines that don't cause drowsiness, nasal steroids, antihistamine eye drops ... and we have had allergy shots for 90 years, and those have been refined so they're more effective and less hazardous," Critchlow said.

Sacha said there has been a fairly recent breakthrough in allergy asthma medicine called Xolair that is available now, but it costs $10,000 per year for monthly shots.

"It's a new technology where we manipulate the immune system," he said. "It's for moderate-to-severe allergic asthma, and what it does is cut down the need for medications, inhaled or oral steroids and hospitalizations. That's why insurance companies will pay for it."

Sacha said asthma and allergies have increased dramatically in number over the last few decades. He said it has been theorized that immunizations have altered the immune system. The body no longer needs certain cells that fight infection, so it has "switched over" to a different kind of cell allowing asthma and allergies, the theory says.

Regardless of the cause of more allergy cases, physicians suggest some ways to limit exposure to allergies.

Sacha said the most important thing is to turn on the air conditioner and keep windows closed at home.

"Close the house up," he said. "Opening your windows is the worst thing you can do. You might save on electricity, but it's going to make you miserable."

He said if people need to work outside, afternoons and evenings are the best time. Allergies are worst from 4 a.m. till noon, Sacha said.

Critchlow suggests taking antihistamines before spending time outside.

bmiller@semissourian.com

243-6635