’Tis the season for sneezing, itchy eyes and hellish discomfort for San Antonio’s seasonal allergy sufferers.
Which is why it should come as little surprise that a new study named SA as the fifth-worst U.S. city for those who suffer from seasonal allergens such as pollen, mountain cedar and ragweed.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s (AAFA) 2022 Allergy Capitals report ranks the most challenging cities for spring and fall allergies among the 100 largest U.S. metros. Those rankings are based on spring and fall pollen scores, over-the-counter medicine use and availability of board-certified allergists and immunologists.
For the second year in a row, Scranton, Pennsylvania, took the top spot based on its high spring and fall pollen scores and lower-than-average number of allergy and immunology specialists per patient.
San Antonio and McAllen were the only two Texas cities to land in the top 10. Houston, Dallas and El Paso fell within the top 50 worst cities for allergy sufferers, however, ranking at numbers 34, 28 and 15, respectively.
The AAFA began identifying annual Allergy Capitals in 2003. Since that first report, seasonal allergies have worsened due to climate change, warmer temps and the increased presence of wind-pollinating trees, foundation officials said.
Stay on top of San Antonio news and views. Sign up for our Weekly Headlines Newsletter.
Related Stories
Dutch Bros. Coffee continues breakneck expansion with 12 planned San Antonio locations
Award-winning Texas brewery Adelbert’s closing permanently this fall
People are less likely to drive while stoned in states that have legal marijuana, new study finds
This article appears in Apr 20 – May 3, 2022.
