Some people enjoy thunderstorms, while for others, it causes health risks. For many pollen allergy sufferers, a spring/summer thunderstorm can lead to Thunderstorm Asthma. In this phenomenon, people with allergic asthma experience increased disease symptoms, such as dry cough, chest tightness, or even shortness of breath, after a thunderstorm.
Warm air transports pollen grains to higher altitudes. Due to the thunderstorm, and the associated strong wind and rain, the pollen is pushed down quickly from higher layers of air. This leads to a high concentration of pollen near the ground. The rapid change in atmospheric conditions, especially humidity, causes the pollen grains to change. Osmotically driven, the pressure in the pole grains increases, which can lead to large-scale bursting. This releases small allergen particles (0.5-2.5µm), of the cytoplasm in the pollen grain, into the ambient air. It is easy for these tiny particles to penetrate the lower airways. This can trigger asthma attacks in hay fever sufferers at best, even if they have never experienced asthma before.
In 2016, about 8500 people in Australia were affected by Thunderstorm Asthma after a severe thunderstorm. Many had to be hospitalized, and nine people lost their lives. It was a very hot day when temperatures suddenly dropped due to a strong thunderstorm. Paramedics received 1900 calls within 5 hours. Thirty hospitalized patients had to be cared for in the intensive care unit. The whole event had an impact compared to a giant bushfire, as paramedics were working non-stop and hospitals were overflowing.
It was not the first case of Thunderstorm asthma in Melbourne, but the worst, with the most deaths. According to research, patients who had not previously undergone asthma treatment were particularly at risk. In the Melbourne epidemic, between 20 and 40% of those affected had never had asthma before and therefore had not received treatment.
Accordingly, people who suffer from asthma and hay fever in spring need additional protection to avoid thunderstorm asthma. This is especially true for allergy sufferers in a region with a lot of grass pollen.
For asthmatics with pollen allergies, it is essential to keep track of their symptoms so that they can react immediately if they worsen. In Germany, more people with allergic symptoms seek hospital care when thunderstorms occur during the grass pollen high season. Fortunately, no severe asthmatic reactions have been observed thus far, like in Australia.
Since Thunderstorm asthma attacks usually occur in spring and summer, it is advisable for allergy sufferers to watch for thunderstorms behind closed windows and doors.