I<$c$>tchy skin or eyes, a runny nose and sneezing, sinus problems. If you haven’t experienced any of these symptoms living in Bermuda, you’re in the minority. But while many of us have only the occasional itch or bout of sneezing there are several who have to contend with such things much more frequently. For some it’s even daily.Allergies, especially to airborne particles, are rampant in Bermuda and for many people triggers asthma. Hay fever is the common term used to describe the condition.

Jutta Harvey, Nursing Director of the Allergy Clinic of Bermuda said on average 13 new patients are tested at the clinic each week. And she said that conditions of the local environment are the main reason the incidence of allergies is so high here.

“The humidity promotes mustiness, mould and mildew. I call mildew our national flower,” she said. “Also the way our homes are built. The old homes are made of Bermuda stone, which is very porous and retains water where mould and mildew get to grow. But it’s also that we keep our water supply in tanks under or beside our homes. This gets absorbed in the walls and floors. Many homes are erected on ground cut out of a cliff, which again is damp and also is like being underground. And ventilation around these homes is not sufficient,” she said.

In addition to the high humidity providing optimal breeding ground for mould and mildew, the warm damp weather is also great for many plants and weeds.

In fact the climate is so wonderful for many of them that they pollinate longer — some virtually all year.

“We have long pollinating seasons and they overlap,” Ms Harvey said. “So the winter season pollinators are still going in March, April and May when the summer pollination is starting in other plants. Then again in October and November the summer plants are still pollinating when the winter ones are starting.”

This overlap in the autumn and spring can hit allergy sufferers hard. The top three culprits in the plant kingdom are: 1) Bermuda grass which pollinates from April to November and all year if the winter is mild; 2) Mexican Pepper (Bermuda holly) which pollinates before Christmas with the hallmark red berries and 3) English Plantain a common weed which like Bermuda grass, pollinates from April to November and all year if the winter is mild.

Dust mites, which feed on our dead skin, are the universal common allergen and they too love warmth and dampness. They also love soft and fuzzy things and live in bedding, carpet and many upholstery fabrics.

Mould, mildew and small pollen particles attack allergy sufferers by getting into their respiratory tract especially their nasal passages and lodging there. Ms Harvey said that the pollen of many plants are too large to be breathed in, in the air and are therefore not allergens. Discovering what patients are allergic to is like detective work. Nurse Harvey said all patients are asked to detail their complaints and then describe their activity and environment. She recommends patients keep a journal noting when symptoms occur, where they are, what they’ve been doing, and what the symptoms are.

“We are trying to find the pattern. That will lead us to the cause,” she said.

Skin prick testing and blood testing to determine allergies is carried out on the premises. The skin prick method is more sensitive and the test results more immediate.

“We’ll see red blotches come up in some areas just a few minutes after contact,” she said.

Blood testing is used for patients that have very irritated skin with conditions like eczema. Oftentimes there is not enough clear skin on these patients to do the skin prick method. The good news is that in most cases, relief and treatment are possible. Nurse Harvey said she always advises patients to avoid the offending allergen.

In many cases this is not full proof and medication may be prescribed. Where patients don’t find the medication helpful or where they want to be rid of the allergy completely, a desensitisation treatment is implemented.

In these cases the patient is given a mild vaccine of the allergen. The treatment is a long process lasting anywhere from two to five years. In the first six months to a year, the patient comes for their shot weekly. In the second year the shots are more widely spaced so that the patient may start coming every two weeks then every three then once a month. “This is the one treatment that gets to the bottom of the problem and provides long-term relief,” Ms Harvey said.

This can be used to cure allergy triggered asthma conditions, rhinitis (runny nose), allergic conjunctivitis (itchy eyes), bee sting allergy and animal allergy. Early detection and appropriate treatment can save allergy sufferers untold discomfort and even surgery. Patients seen at the Allergy Clinic of Bermuda are referred by their family doctor. All testing and treatment at the Cedar Avenue facility is conducted under the supervision of Dr. Barry Whalley.