Bulletin allergo-pollinique - Historique
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Summary 2016

Pollen report – 2016 summary      


 

After a very soft month of December (2015) and globally the hottest winter since 1900, the awakening of plants had been announced very early on the whole territory. The catkins of hazel tree and alder were already growing at the end of December. Between the end of January and the beginning of February, the first pollens of these trees already appeared. Cypress pollens, on the Mediterranean regions, exploded from half of January.

A gloomy spring followed the pleasant winter. With the most rainy Spring of the last fifty years, the pollens managed to scatter. Those of birch stay the main responsible of the allergic diseases on a majority of the territory over April. The Mediterranean region, where the rains were less important, undergoes in this period pollens of oak, olive tree, plane tree and pellitory, sometimes in large quantities. This rainy spring and early summer spread the beginning of the season of pollens of grasses, and extended the season over July.

On all the data, the annual pollen index remains stable with compared with 2015, and one of the strongest since 2000. It is essentially due to a beginning of season very convenient to the blooming and the dispersal of pollens with optimal weather conditions. Cypress pollens, always very present, have this year considerably influenced the annual pollen indexes of the Mediterranean sites.

On the clinical plan, year 2016 is increasing with compared with to 2015 and superior to the average of the last 10 years. If the beginning of season was very early, making increase quickly the index at the end of January, the increase of the index was then gradual until reach a first peak during April for the spring season. This spring peak is the lowest of the last three years. After April, no fall of the index, but a smoothly increase towards the peak of allergy concerning grasses, very low peak compared with 2014 and 2015. The decrease of the symptoms during July is always present, but slightly less abrupt, whereas August records the highest clinical indexes of these last 3 years.


Michel Thibaudon


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