In this article we explore the 25 Worst Cities for Allergies.
Scratchy throat, runny nose and cough? Well, before the fear of Covid-19 grips you, consider that allergy season is right around the corner!
Living with allergies can be a never ending struggle. For a patient with allergies, it is a constant process of identifying the triggers that set off their symptoms. People might be allergic to different things. It might be a specific type of food, some contaminant in the air, or some other allergens like mold plants, insects, animals, and drugs that one might come in contact with. This makes it important for your surroundings being free from the allergy causing triggers. Specific cities are therefore worse than others when it comes to living with allergies.
For all you know, the places you are living in might be aggravating the allergies you have. It especially becomes more important to find out if specific places you are planning to travel to or are considering moving to, are safe and free from allergens that might trigger your allergy symptoms.
While most allergies can be mild, symptoms like sneezing, throat scratching, cough, and annoying rashes are also common. However, symptoms can also be more severe or lead to health issues like low blood pressure (hypotension),breathing issues, hives, eczema and also asthma. Findings have indicated strong connections between allergies and asthma. Asthma can be triggered by pollen, dust or mold in certain patients. Asthma caused by allergies is also the most common type of asthma in the US. This is caused by the inflammation of the lungs as a result of allergy reaction, and ultimately causing asthmatic symptoms.
Quest Diagnostics, one of the leading diagnostic testing companies, has identified in its study that 53% of asthma patients had allergic tendencies. This has also prompted the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) to recommend patients to avoid exposure to common allergens in their surroundings. Considering this, the 30 most polluted cities in the US, can also be some of the cities to avoid.
Food allergies are extremely common too. The 2014 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), 5.4% children suffering from food allergies. Eczema can also have a link to food allergies, especially caused by eggs, milk and peanut. Children may also develop hay fever due to progressive food allergies, and 8.4% of children in the US have been found to suffer from hay fever.
Over the years, it has also been observed that the overall allergies trends have been rising in the US. Allergies connected to ragweed are the most common, and have grown over 15% in the last 4 years. Southwest, Great Lakes, Mountain, and Plains States are the worst for ragweed allergies.
Allergies occur when a patient’s immune system identifies an allergen as harmful and triggers the release of histamines to resist the contact with the specific allergens resulting in allergy symptoms. There are a few ways to discover allergy triggers, including skin prick test or food challenges.
However, the best way or the “gold standard” in the journey of identifying allergens that are triggers for you, is the ImmunoCAP® specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) blood test (ImmunoCAP). The Quest Diagnostics Health Trends Report by Quest Diagnostics (DGX), is based on a series of ImmunoCAP blood tests and hence, reveals some very comprehensive findings. Through these tests it has been identified that patients are susceptible or sensitized to at least 1 out of 11 common allergens.
While allergies can be triggered by a number of things, there are certain allergens that most often affect specific patients or sensitization to certain allergens. “Sensitization” implies that a patient has an allergen-specific IgE. For finding out the worst major cities for Allergies, we can therefore take two routes. First is to identify levels of specific allergens like pollen or mold, present in the environment of each city. The widely circulated report by Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), “the 100 most challenging places to live with allergies,” is based on a methodology that tracks pollen levels, as well as allergy prescriptions in each city.
The second approach is based on sensitization rates, by identifying the worst cities based on the highest sensitization to certain identified allergens. The “Allergen Sensitization Index” developed by the Quest Diagnostics examines combined sensitization levels across 5 allergen categories: food (egg white, milk, peanut, soybean, and wheat), common ragweed, mold, house dust mites, cat epithelia (skin) and dog dander.
The research tracks sensitization rates over 4 years in the 30 most populous metros. It was, however, noted that allergen sensitization was a major cause of concern in all 30 cities.
An increasing trend in the allergen-sensitization rate has also been noted in the study with a 19% increase in the number of patients tested for these 11 allergens. Children also appear to be more susceptible to sensitization than adults. Senstiation to at least 1 allergen was 53% among children while it was at only 37% for adults.
We have based our rankings of the worst major cities for allergies based on this comprehensive research. That being said, both studies have reiterated one fact – “There is no place safe from allergies in America.”
Let’s take a look at our final rankings.
25. San Antonio
Allergen Sensitization Index – 610
The South-Central Texas city, house house dust mites and ragweed pollen. Pollen count in the air is quite high and a cause of concern. Percentage of patients who are sensitized to ragweed pollen were 17% and those sensitized towards house mites were at 23%.
Often called the City of Trees, it is quite given that Sacramento would have a reputation for having high pollen counts in its environment. Pollen levels can be as high as 7.3 to 9.6 out of 12. Sagebrush pollen is the most prevalent.
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23. Orlando
Allergen Sensitization Index – 616
Orlando is one of the top 5 cities for house dust mites allergies. Percentage of patients who are sensitized to house dust mites were a whopping 29%. Mold spores are common in the Orlando year in the months of February to April, and August to October. The humid climate also contributes to allergen producing conditions.
22. Las Vegas
Allergen Sensitization Index – 620
Research shows that the 5 cities with highest sensitization rates to ragweed pollen all lie in the Southwest with Las Vegas appearing on that list too. The city is also one of the top worst cities for animal related allergens rate of sensitization going up to 22%.
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21. Seattle
Allergen Sensitization Index – 633
Seattle is one of the top cities that exhibit high sensitization rates for food allergies. Spring time also worsens pollen allergies in the city.
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20. Houston
Allergen Sensitization Index – 639
Houston has a high rate of sensitization for house dust mites at 28%, followed by food allergies at 19%. Weed pollen counts in the air are on the higher side too.
19. Kansas City
Allergen Sensitization Index – 640
Kansas City has the third highest sensitization rate for Common ragweed. Rate of sensitization is at 24%. Allergens related to cats and dogs are also quite common.
18. Denver
Allergen Sensitization Index – 642
The city is the top most worst city for cat and dogs related allergens. Sensitization rates for animal allergens are 25%. Common ragweed being the next most common allergen in the area. Springtime is also the allergy season.
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17. San Francisco
Allergen Sensitization Index – 646
Summer is allergy season in the San Francisco area. Almost 20-30% of the population in the city experience seasonal allergies. Most allergens arise out of mold and grass, and mulberry, oak, pine and other trees are major causes of aggravating allergies.
16. San Diego
Allergen Sensitization Index – 648
The cool weather and rains in San Diego provides perfect conditions for house molds spores to thrive. The city has the second highest sensitization rates for dust mites. Allergy season is therefore, throughout the year in the region.
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15. Saint Louis
Allergen Sensitization Index – 648
Overall high levels of food allergies and pollen allergies makes Saint Louis one of the Worst major cities for allergies. Percentage of patients with sensitized towards food allergies were at 22%.
14. Minneapolis-St. Paul
Allergen Sensitization Index -653
Ragweed pollen allergies and food allergies are the most common in this region. While ragweed sensitization rate was at 22%, sensitization rates for food and animal allergens stood at 20%.
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13. New York
Allergen Sensitization Index – 658
New York grabs the second spot when it comes to highest sensitization rates to animals. Warming temperatures in the city have also contributed to lengthening of the pollen allergy season in the city, and it is set to be at record high this year.
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12. Riverside-San Bernardino
Allergen Sensitization Index – 659
The city is one of the top 5 cities with highest sensitization rates for both mold and ragweed pollen. Quite explainable that it appears on the list of the worst cities for allergies.
11. Los Angeles
Allergen Sensitization Index – 660
Los Angeles is one of the worst cities for mold allergies. Over 17% of patients have shown sensitization towards mold. It fares quite high in sensitization rates for house dust mites as well, at 26%. The high pollution levels is likely a contributor to the high allergen levels in the city.
10. Cleveland
Allergen Sensitization Index – 662
The overlapping tree pollen season and grass pollen seasons this year, has caused prolonged allergy season in the region. Climate change has played a role in worsening of symptoms. Cleveland is also one of the top cities for animal allergens.
9. Atlanta
Allergen Sensitization Index – 668
House dust mites sensitization rates are high in Atlanta at 28%. Also, pollen season has been getting longer due to the warming of temperatures in the city that experienced cooler springs earlier.
8. Cincinnati
Allergen Sensitization Index – 670
Cincinnati has the third highest sensitization rates for food allergies. Mold levels have been high recently and weather change can be held accountable for pollen irritants mostly produced by grass.
7. Chicago
Allergen Sensitization Index – 672
March to June are pollination season for Chicago, however, mold irritants are the notorious allergens in the region. The mold problem starts around September and stays put until the high frost.
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6. Philadelphia
Allergen Sensitization Index – 675
Philadelphia’s sensitization rates are on the higher side for all 5 common allergens. Sunny Philadelphia weather might not be a blessing for those with seasonal allergies.
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5. Boston
Allergen Sensitization Index – 682
Boston has it quite bad when it comes to allergies and appears in the top 5 for animals, dust mites and food allergies. Seasons have been dry lately, aggravating the pollen problem.
4. Washington, D.C.
Allergen Sensitization Index – 688
Increasing frost free days is not great news for everyone, especially in the Washington D.C. The area has a large diversity of trees which causes more pollen in the air. However, pollen isn’t the only problem as food allergies are also quite high in the city.
Even though all kinds of allergen sensitization is high in Baltimore, the city tops in sensitization rates to food allergy. Looking for allergy-friendly dining options is a good idea.
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2. Phoenix
Allergen Sensitization Index – 695
Phoenix is overall not a good place to be in if you are suffering from allergies. It is by far the worst city for ragweed pollen allergies. Abundance of other desert plants too can aggravate pollen allergies. While mesquite landscaping is a popular choice, you might not be a fan if you are a person with allergies.
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1. Dallas
Allergen Sensitization Index – 697
If you are someone with allergies, Dallas might be the place to avoid. It is the top city for mold sensitization and also among the top 5 for ragweed pollen allergies. With allergy sensitization rate touching a 697, Dallas is by far the worst major city for allergies.
