Allergic rhinitis and asthma are among the most common chronic diseases today, affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide. One contributing factor is climate change, which is extending pollen seasons, increasing pollen in the air, and potentially making it more allergenic. The latest guidelines from the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), developed with scientists from Wroclaw Medical University, show that effective allergy management goes beyond medication. Modern pollen monitoring systems, environmental forecasts and preventive measures are becoming increasingly important.
For years, allergy treatment has focused primarily on pharmacotherapy and allergen immunotherapy. The new guidelines highlight that the environment in which patients live is an equally important part of allergy management.
Climate change means that many plants begin pollinating earlier and continue for longer than they did just a few decades ago. At the same time, air pollution can increase pollen's allergenic properties and intensify inflammatory responses in the respiratory tract. Experts therefore emphasize the need to combine medical knowledge with environmental and meteorological data.
The new EAACI guidelines represent an important step towards a more comprehensive approach to the treatment and control of allergic respiratory diseases. They indicate that effective management cannot be limited to pharmacotherapy and allergen immunotherapy alone. Reducing the impact of environmental factors, particularly exposure to plant pollen, is equally important, says Professor Marek Jutel, MD, PhD, from the Department of Clinical Immunology at Wroclaw Medical University and co-author of the guidelines.
As Professor Jutel emphasizes, this is important not only for individual patients.
From a public health perspective, the guidelines emphasize the importance of preventive measures involving environmental monitoring and cooperation between physicians, aerobiologists, meteorologists and institutions responsible for public health. Such an integrated approach makes it possible not only to treat individual patients more effectively, but also to reduce the number of disease exacerbations requiring emergency intervention or hospitalization.
Until recently, information on pollen concentrations was based mainly on manual measurements, with results available only after a delay. Today, automated monitoring stations are playing an increasingly important role, providing data almost in real time. This makes it possible to develop much more accurate forecasts and warning systems for patients.
Climate change is causing pollen seasons to begin earlier and last longer, while many plant species produce larger amounts of pollen with greater allergenic potential. In this situation, monitoring pollen concentrations and using modern forecasting systems are becoming increasingly important, as they enable the early identification of periods of increased allergen exposure, explains Magdalena Zemelka-Wiącek, PhD, DSc, from the Department of Clinical Immunology at Wroclaw Medical University and co-author of the publication.
She adds that this information can benefit many groups.
Patients can plan their daily activities more effectively and take measures to reduce exposure and start treatment in accordance with their physician’s recommendations sufficiently early. Physicians gain an additional tool to support therapeutic decision-making, while public health institutions can prepare organizational and educational measures in advance for periods of greatest risk.
Experts point out that many people start treatment only when their symptoms become troublesome. The new guidelines indicate that appropriate preparation before the pollen season can help control the disease more effectively.
People with allergic rhinitis and asthma should know which plant pollens they are allergic to so that they can start treatment sufficiently early, in accordance with their individual treatment plan. They should not wait until symptoms become fully developed. Starting treatment before the pollen season begins often allows for better disease control and reduces the risk of exacerbations, emphasizes Professor Marek Jutel.
Professor Jutel also highlights the so-called priming effect, in which the mucous membranes gradually become more sensitive even before the first clinical symptoms appear. In practice, simple measures to reduce contact with pollen may also help, such as avoiding prolonged outdoor activity when pollen concentrations are high, keeping windows closed, changing clothes after returning home, or washing one’s hair. However, these measures do not replace treatment or allergen immunotherapy, which remains the only method capable of modifying the natural course of allergic disease.
The authors emphasize that pollen monitoring alone is not enough to assess risk. Symptom severity is also influenced by temperature, humidity, air pollution, and sudden weather events such as thunderstorms. The future of warning systems therefore lies in combining data from different sources.
Such solutions may be particularly important during episodes of so-called thunderstorm asthma, when sudden weather changes can lead to a sharp increase in the number of severe asthma exacerbations. The guidelines also recommend strengthening emergency department and healthcare system preparedness during periods of greatest risk.
The authors emphasize that no single universal solution fits all patients. Each person has a different sensitization profile, disease course, and sensitivity to environmental factors. Both treatment and recommendations for reducing pollen exposure should therefore be tailored to the individual.
The new guidelines show that the future of allergology will increasingly rely on better use of environmental data, modern monitoring technologies and prevention. In a changing climate, these may become some of the most important tools for improving the quality of life of millions of patients.
Worth knowing: Symptom severity depends not only on the amount of pollen in the air, but also on air pollution, temperature, humidity, and sudden weather events such as thunderstorms. It is therefore best to use forecasts that account for all these factors.
Allergy
Meta-analysis
People
EAACI Guidelines on Environmental Science for Allergy and Asthma—Evidence-Based Recommendations for Prevention and Public Health Action to Mitigate the Impact of Pollen Exposure on Respiratory Allergy
26-Jun-2026
The authors declare no additional conflicts of interest beyond those reported in the original publication. Please refer to the published article for the full conflict-of-interest disclosure.