Allergies taking toll on DFW area

As if the flu and cold viruses circulating around North Texas weren’t bad enough, allergy sufferers are also feeling the pain.

Sneezing, runny noses and itchy eyes are commonplace this holiday season.

But Fort Worth allergist James Haden said it isn’t so much one type of pollen, such as the dreaded mountain cedar, that’s making people feel miserable.

“It has already been in the air in fits and spurts this fall going back to October when the weather first cooled off,” Haden said. “In fact, there were a few days where there were ragweed, grass, and mountain cedar pollen in the air all at the same time,” fall, summer, and winter pollens, respectively.”

Mountain cedar, which has been dubbed the Christmas allergy, typically makes its presence felt the most in January when the pollen blows up from the Hill Country. It can travel hundreds of miles of miles on warm, windy days and was once found to have been carried all the way from Texas to a Toronto suburb.

Estelle Levetin, chairwoman of the Biological Science Department at the University of Tulsa, has been studying mountain cedar since 1980 and first began forecasting the long-distance transport of its pollen in 1998.

Levetin said the early cedar pollen is most likely redberry juniper, which starts in October and tends to wane around the time mountain cedar kicks in. But she found evidence of mountain cedar at one reporting station last week, suggesting the season is underway.

“It’s so hard to predict because who knows what the weather is going to be like,” Levetin said.

Mountain cedar can be transported hundreds of miles on warm, windy days, typically ahead of cold fronts. Levetin’s research has shown that the juniper trees start producing pollen when temperatures climb above 50 degrees. When it’s colder than 50, no mountain cedar pollen is released.

DFW among worst in nation

Rain can also be a factor. While a good rain will wash pollen out of the air, Levetin has seen large releases of pollen on days after downpours.

While much of country is experiencing few allergy problems currently, the Dallas-Fort Worth area is considered to have some of the worst in nation, according to Pollen.com.

It is the combination of pollen that is making it difficult for many sufferers.

“A lot of the misery associated with allergies is not just how high the pollen counts get, but how long a person is experiencing symptoms,” Haden said. “It tends to wear the patient down over time if the symptoms persist more than several days. Especially since nasal congestion, sneezing and drainage, as well as coughing, all impact quality of sleep — and that can catch up with a person very quickly.”

‘Cedar’s a brutal thing’

As bad as North Texas can get during cedar season, the problems pale in comparison with Austin and San Antonio.

Last January, the pollen count reached 16,675 grains per cubic meter in Austin, the highest level in 16 years.

In San Antonio last year, it climbed to 22,670. The highest total in Dallas-Fort Worth last year was 961 on Jan. 20.

The irritation caused by mountain cedar is such a staple in Austin that Gov. Rick Perry once discussed the allergen’s potency with the Star-Telegram.

“Cedar’s a brutal thing,” Perry said in 2002. “And I’m just kind of allergic to it. The molds actually hammer me worse than cedar. But these poor people who really are allergic to cedar, I mean, it debilitates them. It’s horrible.”

And for those wondering if it’s allergies or one of the flu or other viruses that’s making them feel miserable, Haden said there’s a general rule that usually comes into play.

“As far as telling a virus from allergy symptoms, allergies will never cause a fever but frequently viruses will,” Haden said. “Also it’s rare for allergies to cause aches and pains in the muscles or joints but it’s common for viruses to do that.”

This story was originally published December 12, 2014 at 6:17 PM with the headline "Allergies taking toll on DFW area."