Loyola Medicine Allergy Count Returns

MAYWOOD, IL – For more than 20 years, Loyola Medicine's Gottlieb Memorial Hospital has provided the Chicago area with updated allergy counts every weekday during allergy season. This year's official count will resume on Monday, April 1. Allergy sufferers can follow @LoyolaAllergy on X (formerly know as Twitter) or visit loyolamedicine.org/allergy-count for the latest numbers.

Rachna Shah, MD, leads the Loyola Medicine Allergy Count and warns that tree pollen counts are already rising due to the recent unseasonably warm weather. “At the beginning of February, some of my patients started to say, ‘I feel like I’m sneezing more, have itchy eyes, a runny nose, and drainage in the back of the throat;’ all of the symptoms typical of spring allergies. Typically, I don’t see maple pollen until maybe mid-April to May. I was already seeing that a few weeks ago."

She advises allergy sufferers to stay informed, "Allergy counts are important to help monitor symptoms and prepare for the day." When pollen levels are high, she recommends people with severe pollen allergies stay indoors, but if that's not practical, "pollen counts are highest before 10 a.m., so try shifting activities to later in the day. And if you do outdoor activities for more than a couple hours, it can be really helpful to come inside, rinse off, and change clothes."

In this video, Dr. Shah explains how the count is performed. Pollen samples are gathered every weekday morning from the roof of Gottlieb Memorial Hospital. Pollen grains and mold spores are collected from a cubic meter air sample and counted under a microscope. The counts include daily numbers for mold, tree, grass and weed pollens.

Spring allergies often cause itchy, watery eyes, a runny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion and post-nasal drip. Difficulty breathing, coughing, wheezing and/or shortness of breath can also be triggered by seasonal allergies.

Allergy season commonly runs from March through the first hard freeze in October. Tree pollen generally begins to rise in late March to April, grass pollen arrives in May and June, while weed pollen is most prevalent in July to August. Ragweed typically peaks from late August to the first frost and mold can strike in damp conditions throughout the season.

The daily allergy count is easy to track by following @LoyolaAllergy on X (formerly know as Twitter). For more information, please visit loyolamedicine.org/allergy-count. B-roll of Dr. Shah conducting the allergy account is available to download at this link.