The AAFA 2013
There is no place safe from allergies in America, and some cities are more troublesome than others.
This Spring Allergy Capitals™ report is an independent research project of AAFA sponsored by DYMISTA™, the first and only seasonal allergy spray to block histamine and treat inflammation for effective relief of seasonal allergy symptoms.
This is an annual research project of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) to identify the 100 most challenging places to live with allergies during the spring season.
This year,Jackson, Mississippi rose to the #1 spot on the list (up from #4 last year) primarily due to very high pollen and a large reliance on allergy medications among allergy patients.
The rankings are based on scientific analysis of three factors for the 100 largest metro areas in the U.S. The data measured and compared for the ranking include:
• Pollen scores (airborne grass/tree/weed pollen and mold spores)
• Number of allergy medications used per patient
• Number of allergy specialists per patient
Northern Cities Not Spared and The South Also Rises: Jackson, MS ranked #1 “Spring Allergy Capital.”
This year Jackson wasn’t the only city in the south to make it to the top. Overall, 15 of the top 25 cities on this year’s ranking are in the South, continuing a trend that AAFA has seen over the years. “Our spring listing usually features cities from the southeast and deep south, and the #1 spot is almost always a southern city,” says Mike Tringale, AAFA’s Vice President of External Affairs. On this year’s list, the city with the worst pollen score is Wichita, KS; the city showing the greatest use of allergy medications is Jackson, MS; and the city with the lowest number of allergy specialists-per-patient is Virginia Beach, VA. Northern cities predicted to face a more challenging spring allergy season compared to one year ago include: Buffalo, NY (rising 10 spots to rank #15 out of 100 cities), Springfield, MA, (rising 74 spots to #18), Detroit, MI, (rising 50 spots to #26) and Toledo, OH (rising 57 spots to #29). [Colorado Springs was #89 on the list of 100 most challenging places to live. (Source; Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America) As shown on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams; 2 April 2013]
Learn about diagnosing, treating and preventing nasal allergies, and see more about the Spring Allergy Capital™ rankings by clicking on the interactive list and viewing the free tools and resources on their website at http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=9&;sub=33.