European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 12, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Sneezing season by Janet d Agostino medical writer it s a Tough season for Hay fever sufferers in Europe As Strong doses of airborne pollen cause itchy watery eyes and stuffed Runn noses. The heavy pollen was caused by this year s mild Winter and warm sunny Spring which led to an Early and robust growing season. Hay fever sufferers in Europe can find Little escape from pollen because of the Rural Way of life and the Lack of air conditioned Homes and buildings according to two . Military doctors in West Germany who specialize in allergies. Roughly 10 percent of the population suffers from some Type of allergy said or. Maj Gregory Lux chief of the allergy and immunization clinic at the Wiesbaden air Force regional medical Center and the Only air Force allergist stationed outside of the United states. Hay fever or allergic rhinitis is the most common form of allergy and is caused by pollen from Trees grass and weeds. Grass is the number one cause of Hay fever. Allergic rhinitis can also be caused year round by holds feathers dust mites and animals. Hay fever generally begins with the Spring growing season. Symptoms can Range from mild itching and watering of the eyes stuffed or Runny noses sneezing and Throat Clearing to More severe respiratory problems. Asthma is not primarily an allergic condition but can be triggered by pollen. Other allergies include food and drug allergies and skin disorders such As eczema. An allergy is an abnormal response to an otherwise harmless substance such As pollen called an allergen. The immune system reacts to the allergen As though it were a harmful virus or bacteria by producing antibodies to defend the body. The antibodies bind to specialized cells called Mast cells that line the respiratory and digestive tracts and the skin. Mast cells contain chemicals such As histamine which Are supposed to attack harmful invaders. When stimulated by antibodies the Mast cells release these chemicals which then irritate nearby tissues and cause the symptoms of an allergic reaction. The Best prevention for Hay fever or any allergy is to identify and avoid the offending allergen but when this is impractical or impossible mild symptoms can be controlled by using an Over the counter Antihistamine Lux said. Over the counter products usually contain antihistamines such As maleate and Pheni Ramine maleate. They vary in dosage but Are equally effective Lux said. Side effects of antihistamines May include drowsiness dry Mouth blurred vision dizziness insomnia tremors and in children excitability. Some of the newer prescription antihistamines relieve the symptoms of allergies without causing drowsiness. However they Are much More expensive than Over the counter brands and Are not readily available in All military pharmacies. Since antihistamines do not always reduce nasal congestion Over the counter decongestants taken either orally or As nasal Spray or drops May be needed by some people. Nasal sprays should be used sparingly. Not Only can overuse injure nasal membranes but after two or three Days use nasal sprays can cause rebound congestion with the sinuses clogging up again. People should see an allergist when it gets to the Point that it interferes with your life said or. It. Col David Michaels chief of the allergy and immunization clinic at Frankfurt army regional medical Center. It Hay fever is not a severe life threatening illness by itself but it s an uncomfortable affliction to have. It can really Wear you Down Over a period of people who have pain fever or cough associated with their allergy symptoms should also see a doctor because they might be signs of a secondary infection Lux said. An allergist can spend More time with a patient than a family physician and tailor a program that will Best treat the patient s allergies Michaels said. An allergist will take a detailed medical history of the patient and then perform a skin test to determine which substances the person is allergic to. A doctor can control More severe allergy symptoms by determining which drugs and dosage Are most effective. Drugs used by an allergist include antihistamines steroid nasal sprays Eye drops and Cro Molyn sodium a medication which relieves symptoms by preventing or reducing the amount of histamine and other chemicals released by the Mast cells. When medication does not work a doctor May recommend allergy shots. Allergy shots contain extracts of the offending allergen which cause the body to produce protective antibodies rather than the harmful antibodies. This lessens the allergy symptoms caused by the allergen. A drawback to allergy shots is the potential for an allergic reaction to the extract and the time commitment that must be made in order for the shots to work effectively. A person will need to have allergy shots once or twice a week in the beginning and then less frequently. The concentration of allergen is increased gradually until reaching a maintenance dose that can be Given once a month. The shots will need to be continued for three to five years. But once the program is completed the patient s symptoms should be alleviated for several years before needing further shots. Lining up for the allergist service and family member living in Europe have to wait anywhere from two weeks to three months to get a appointment with a military allergist. Only three Are stationed Here one for the air Force and Navy and two for the army. There is Only one specialist at Wiesbaden air Force regional medical Center because of funding and manpower limitations said it. Col. James Dilda a Safe spokesman. The fact that allergy Medicine is not considered a wartime speciality is also a consideration in the assignment of allergists he said. Seventh medical come is authorized Only two allergists. But the command realizes that there Are significant allergy problems in Central Europe and has started a training program to train other physicians in Basic allergy identification said David Stewart spokesman for the command. The goal is to have doctors trained in each of the 11 army hospitals. The allergists stationed in Europe Are or. Maj Gregory Lux at the Wiesbaden Hospital and or. It. Col David Michaels and or. Capt Scott song both stationed at the Frankfurt army regional medical Center. However song must Divide his time Between the allergy clinic and the internal Medicine department because of a shortage of internists. Generally it takes two weeks to get a referral at the Wiesbaden clinic but there is a four week wait during the summer. There is a three month wait at Frankfurt but this should be reduced to one month during the Winter. Lux and Michaels Hope to reduce waiting time for referrals by training doctors in other air Force and army hospitals and clinics so they can run their own allergy programs with supervision. However even with the training of other doctors Lux and Michaels must review and approve by mail the plans for allergy shots developed by physicians in other hospitals and clinics. Lux spends half of his time training and supporting doctors in the 32 air Force clinics four Navy hospitals and five army clinics where allergy services Are provided. He supports the five army clinics because they Are closer to Wiesbaden than Frankfurt. Air Force clinics and hospitals in Safe Are also supported by allergy technicians trained in a special allergy program at the Walter Reed army medical Center in Washington d.c., Lux said. A majority of the allergy technicians assigned to 7th medical come have not been trained at Walter Reed. There was no training program when Michaels arrived at the Frankfurt army regional medical Center last summer. Patients suffering from allergies in the More Distant areas of Germany usually needed to Corne to Frankfurt for help. He started training other physicians in january. My Effort has been to train physicians at the major clinics and hospitals so they can train their own so far Michaels has trained doctors in Berlin Stuttgart at shape Belgium and Wurzburg. Over the next six months he plans to Tram doctors in Lan Stuhl Heidelberg Augsburg Nurnberg and Bremerhaven. J d tuesday july 12, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 17
