POLLENS KICK OFF SNEEZIN' SEASON.

Byline: Robert Monroe Staff Writer

Allergy sufferers, start your air purifiers!

An unholy trio of tree pollen, grass pollen and mold spores are out in force now that Southern California is drying out from recent rains. Allergists said Tuesday that they're being inundated with sneezers and wheezers looking for the latest cures.

``It's like a zoo over here,'' said Dr. Jacob Offenberger, a Granada Hills allergist and medical director for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America's Southern California chapter. ``As soon as the weather started getting warm, people started getting in trouble.''

Offenberger said he has seen a 50 percent increase in the number of patients in his office in the past week and a half, and expects more inundation ``as long as the weather is nice.''

Dr. Sue Johnson, an allergy and pulmonary specialist in Glendale, has seen a 30 percent jump from two weeks ago.

To most, allergies might seem no more than an annoyance. But fighting them costs Americans $4.5 billion a year, according to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology. An estimated 3.8 million school and work days are missed annually.

Offenberger and Johnson said, however, that a new class of allergy and asthma drugs that began with the launch of Claritin five years ago is giving even chronic sufferers fewer and fewer reasons to limit their activities.

``For a long time, we had no new generation of medicine,'' Johnson said. ``With all those options, no patient should be disabled, no patient should have to limit their activities.''

The rain and its timing are the chief culprits this week. Though it washed away the pollen that trees have been producing since January, damp exterior surfaces have become virtual petri dishes for mold. Plus, the tree pollen has returned. And the grasses turning local hillsides green are also producing pollen two weeks ahead of schedule.

Only one thing could make it worse, Johnson said.

``Whenever the wind starts blowing, there are so many allergens in the air,'' she said.

Mark King called Offenberger on Tuesday to bump up his prescription from Claritin to another version containing a decongestant. After months of relief, this latest wave of unseasonable weather caused a familiar pattern of post-nasal drip and throat infections, the Santa Clarita resident said.

``Within the last month, my sinuses got clogged up again,'' said King. ``I guess it was stronger than the Claritin.''

The sneezes and runny noses allergens produce are known as allergic rhinitis. The watery eyes are called allergic conjunctivitis. Both are caused by substances known as histamines released by antibodies in the immune system.

Allergy medicines of the future might be able to block the antibodies themselves, but for now the best still work by suppressing the histamines.

The acute allergy sufferers know who they are. Dr. Bernard Geller, a Santa Monica allergist, said the occasional sneezer might be better served by Zyrtec, Allegra or other prescription antihistamines that don't have the sedative effects of over-the-counter drugs. People concerned about driving or operating other heavy machinery in an antihistamine haze might be prime candidates for these drugs.

``If the use is sporadic and the side effects are minimal, that's great, but there's a lot of people who can't take these products over the counter,'' said Geller.

His simple rule of thumb about when to see the doctor: ``The time to do something is when the pain and suffering of not doing it exceeds the pain and suffering of doing it.''

Johnson said she has been prescribing the new antihistamines liberally.

``We use a lot because it's once a day, no sedative effect and you can give them to children,'' she said.

Likewise, business is booming for sellers of air filters. Gazoontite.com, a year-old e-retailer that sells products especially for allergy and asthma sufferers, said sales of dust mite-proof bedding and HEPA filters are going through the roof this week.

``As the pollen count goes up so do our sales,'' said Gazoontite.com President Soon-Chart Yu. ``We've seen sales pick up pretty dramatically.''

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Photo:

With spring still nearly a week away, Nick Kaeller, 37, of Monte Nido, rides his mountain bike in Calabasas on Tuesday. But warm weather that makes outdoor activity fun is also triggering an early round of allergies.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer