Allergic rhinitis affects one in three people in Western countries, yet it’s rarely taken as seriously as it deserves. In a recent interview, Dr. Ibon Eguiluz, allergologist and researcher on the EU-funded ClimAIr project, explains why this disease ranks among the costliest to society, how air pollution and climate change are making it worse, and how ClimAIr is developing tools to predict and manage its impact.
Unlike diabetes or hypertension, which typically appear later in life, allergic rhinitis usually starts in childhood and stays with a person through school, work, and beyond. It affects a quarter to a third of people in Western countries, up to 40% in the most industrialized societies. While it isn’t fatal, Dr. Eguiluz notes that when accounting for lost productivity, it may be the costliest chronic disease to society, contributing to poorer academic performance in children and presenteeism (reduced productivity while still at work) in adults.
Its four core symptoms, nasal discharge, itching, sneezing, and congestion, can seriously disrupt concentration-heavy tasks like driving, studying, or working. Accompanying allergic conjunctivitis can be equally or more disabling, and nighttime congestion often causes sleep-onset insomnia. The disease also tends to progress: someone allergic to one substance often becomes allergic to more, and rhinitis alone can evolve into asthma.
Both pollution and climate change are aggravating factors. Pollutants damage the nasal lining and, notably, chemically alter pollen allergens to make them more potent. Rising temperatures are extending pollen seasons and helping allergenic species like ragweed colonize new regions. Extreme weather adds further risks, from mould growth after floods to “thunderstorm asthma,” where sudden pressure changes rupture pollen grains and trigger surges in emergency asthma cases.
ClimAIr, a project bringing together researchers from 9 European countries, is studying olive, grass, and birch pollen allergies through blood and nasal samples, correlating “omics” data with clinical outcomes. The aim is a clinical decision-support tool that predicts an individual’s symptom risk based on location, pollution, and climate forecasts, helping patients plan outdoor activities and helping clinicians identify who would benefit from allergen immunotherapy, the only treatment that addresses the underlying cause rather than just the symptoms.
Want a quick, shareable overview? Download the ClimAIr infographic on allergic rhinitis: climair_rhinitis.pdf
Read the full interview here: Allergic Rhinitis: The Underestimated Chronic Disease