IOWA CITY, Iowa, Aug. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Iowa Clinical Research
Corporation (ICRC) announces that ragweed pollen counts will be available each
weekday morning beginning today.
Allergy sufferers and the media can sign up to receive morning
notifications of the daily ragweed pollen count for the Iowa City -- Cedar
Rapids corridor area by sending a request to ragweed@iowaclinical.com. Pollen
levels are reported in pollen grains per cubic meter for the past 24 hours and
will also be available on the ICRC Web site.
August 10th is about the time each year that the Fall allergy season
begins. Ragweed pollen counts typically increase above 20 on this date and
remain above this level until mid-September. "A level of 20 causes many
patients to have allergy symptoms," says Susan Quinn, Director of Clinical
Research at ICRC.
Quinn notes that "symptoms include sniffling, sneezing, watery eyes and
scratchy throats." Ragweed has few natural adversaries so it is able to
flourish annually, even in years in which there is little rain. The resilient
ragweed plant, also known as Ambrosia, lives at the side of highways and on
farmer's fields and thrives in hot weather and sandy soil. A single ragweed
plant typically can produce about a billion grains of pollen per plant per
season. Most people affected by ragweed only need the pollen grain count to be
above 200; whereas, others will have symptoms from a pollen count as low as
20. Severe symptoms may occur when the pollen counts exceed 1,000.
Quinn added, "To avoid ragweed allergy, it is best to stay indoors with
air conditioning during the early part of the day, when pollen counts are the
highest. The best time to go outdoors is after a rainfall or in the late
afternoon or evening when ragweed pollen production slows for the day. After
spending time outdoors during pollen season, it is best to change your clothes
and take a shower as soon as possible. An indoor/outdoor pet may also be a
source of tracking pollen into your home."
There are many treatments for ragweed allergy, also called hay fever; both
over the counter and by prescription. Treatments include antihistamines, nasal
steroids sprays and even saline eye drops.
More information about the Fall allergy season can be obtained from the
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Web site at
http://www.aaaai.org or from the ICRC Web site at
http://www.iowaclinical.com . For information about asthma, allergy and other
respiratory studies being performed in the Iowa City - Cedar Rapids area, call
1-866-338-5552 (toll free) or 319-338-5552 (local) or go to the ICRC Web site
at http://www.iowaclinical.com .
Note about ICRC:
Iowa Clinical Research Corporation (ICRC) is located in downtown Iowa
City. ICRC performs clinical research studies. Pollen counts represent pollen
grains in the air per cubic meter during the previous 24 hours. Pollen counts
are provided by CompleWare Corporation, a sister corporation to ICRC.
SOURCE Iowa Clinical Research Corporation
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Related links:
http://www.compleware.com
http://www.aaaai.org http://www.iowaclinical.com
CONTACT:
Susan Quinn of Iowa Clinical Research
Corporation, +1-866-338-5552 (toll free) or +1-319-338-5552
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