Météo France and the various weather sites are announcing violent storms starting this Thursday, June 6. They will affect a large part of the country, going from the South-West to the North-East.
These weather conditions, combined with high concentrations of grass pollen currently observed and forecast for this week (see allergy map to pollen), considerably increase the risk thunderstorm asthmathat is to say the appearance of breathing difficulties similar to asthma attack which appear in people who are most often allergic.
“Storm asthma can affect everyone, asthmatic or not. It is therefore important to know the actions to protect yourself from it and avoid its symptoms!”, warns RNSA (National Aerobiological Surveillance Network) in a press release dated June 5.
What is “storm” asthma which can affect people allergic to pollen?
Storm asthma causes asthma attacks or respiratory distress just before a storm or during a storm. Normally, the rain leaves the pollen on the ground. However, stormy weather will simply cause the opposite effect. “During thunderstorms, the concentration of pollen increases rapidly near the ground with the strong downslope winds which bring grass pollens from the upper air layers to the air layers close to the ground. Due to the high humidity of the air, gusts of wind and variations in the electric field of the atmosphere, the pollens become engorged with water and burst. This results in fine allergenic particles that can penetrate even deeper into the lungs. This phenomenon can trigger serious attacks of bronchospasm!”, explains the RNSA.
Asthma attack caused by a storm: what are the right actions?
Shortness of breath, cough, difficulty breathing… Thunderstorms can cause serious asthma attacks in people who do not necessarily have a history of the disease.
THE people most at risk being according to the RNSA“people with asthma, individuals with grass pollen allergies, children and young adults.”
What should be done ? The Regional Health Agency (ARS) of Île-de-France recommended in 2023 that patients “asthmatic, allergic or with respiratory pathologies“to limit their movements as much as possible and to avoid physical exertion.
#Prevention | Weather conditions and #pollens: faced with the strong surge in emergency consultations for asthma attacks, the@ARS_IDF recommends that people with asthma, allergies or respiratory pathologies avoid travel or physical exertion.
— ARS Île-de-France (@ARS_IDF) June 11, 2023
What about wearing a mask? “It protects against pollen“, assured Luc Refabert, allergist at Necker hospital (Paris) and vice-president of the Asthma and Allergies association, in an interview given in 2023 to France Blue Paris. But another specialist, Maxime Gautier, head of the hospital’s emergency department Simone Veil d’Eaubonne (Val-d’Oise), was then more mixed. According to him, “we almost need FFP3 masks“However, these can hinder breathing and are therefore not necessarily suggested for people with asthma.
As a precaution, it is therefore better to stay at home when a storm is approaching.
