Austin is a wonderful place to live, and it ranks high on many lists around the country: Austin was selected as the No. 2 Best Big City in "Best Places to Live" by Money magazine in 2006, and No. 3 in 2009; the "Greenest” City in America" by MSN; CNN Headline News and Travel & Leisure magazine ranked Austin No. 2 on the list of cities with the best people, referring to the personalities and attributes of the citizens; Austin was also voted America's #1 College Town by the Travel Channel, it was ranked the fifth-safest city in part because there are fewer than five murders per 100,000 people annually, and in 2009, Austin was determined to be the least stressful large metro area by Forbes magazine.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1953 and the oldest asthma and allergy patient group in the world.
AAFA develops health education and
provides practical information, community based services, and support to various groups. Every year, AAFA attempts to identify the most challenging places to live with allergies in the spring and fall seasons. The rankings are based on 3 factors: pollen/mold counts, the amount of allergy medication used per patient, and the number of allergy specialists per patient. The top 100 largest metro areas in the U.S. are ranked and published in the AAFA website.
Austin has consistently ranked very high on the Fall Season standings, that is, until 2008 and 2009. Over the last 7 years, Austin has ranked: 4th in 2003, 1st in 2004, 14th in 2005, 12th in 2006, 1st in 2007, 41st in 2008, and 24th in 2009. The data did not permit a determination of why Austin has ranked lower the last two years. In the past, cedar (which pollinates in the winter months) has always been included in the determination since, unlike other cities, we continue to suffer from allergies with the onset of cold weather.
In 2004 and 2007 when Austin was ranked first, AAFA specifically singled out mountain cedar as the reason for the top ranking, and with good reason. While most plants around the country go dormant and stop pollinating, these local trees seem to welcome the cold and wind as these seem to trigger the pollen buds to pop and release billions of allergy-producing particles into the air. Because of the prolific pollen production and a season that can often last for 8 or more weeks, mountain cedar ranks as one of the most allergy-causing plants in the U.S.
While perhaps not as high, Austin has also been consistently listed in the top 25 cities for bad spring allergies as well, at least until the last 2 years. Over the last 7 years, Austin has ranked: 2nd in 2003, 6th in 2004, 26th in 2005, 26th in 2006, 24th in 2007, 54th in 2008, and 71st in 2009. Again, no obvious reason could be determined as to why Austin fell in the spring rankings. One possibility may be the drought that we’ve endured over the past couple of years; this may have brought the total pollen counts lower and reduced us in the standings.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that I want us to be the worse city in the U.S. for allergies! After all, we want our city to continue to grow and attract businesses here. It’s just that for us allergy sufferers, we would like to know that our symptoms and exorbitant tissue-use are at least giving us some kind of distinction and setting us apart from other cities. And as Texans, we have always considered ourselves a strong and resilient people, able to withstand allergy problems that would incapacitate others.
The AAFA has also started a similar program for asthma rankings in order to call attention to the asthma epidemic and advocate for changes that might help asthmatics in various cities. Their rankings are based on analysis of 12 factors in three groups: Prevalence factors such as morbidity and mortality statistics; Risk factors such as air quality, pollen, "100% smoke-free" laws, poverty and more; and Medical factors, such as medication usage and access to specialists. This is definitely a list where you want a low ranking and Austin was ranked 47th in 2007, 67th in 2008 and 74th in 2009.
Obviously, allergies (and asthma) are everywhere, and you can’t run away from these by moving, since most places around the U.S. will have something in the air that can cause problems. Here in Austin we have a unique set of factors that can make our allergies worse: our growing seasons are long, we usually have enough rainfall and sun to make vegetation healthy, and we have plant species that put lots of pollen into the air. So are we the allergy capital of the world? Of the country? Only time will tell...and if we’re never number one again, that just means that we’re doing a better job than most at controlling allergies!
If you’re considering a move to Austin, it is true that pollen and mold levels here can be challenging. But don’t let that dissuade you from coming... I think we also have some of the best allergy care available! :)
J. Alex Martinez, M.D.
Check out these links for more information:
Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America
Allergy Capitals
2009 Asthma Capitals
