Loyola Medicine experts expect 2026 allergy season could be a bad one
Allergy season is here, and the dreaded pollen can trigger sneezing, congestion, wheezing, and shortness of breath. Dr. Rachna Shah, a board-certified allergist and immunologist, and head of Loyola Medicine Allergy Count, predicted this allergy season could be a bad one.
"I think it may be one of those seasons where we have a combination of tree pollen that's all going to come at the same time, along with grass that's coming in, because it seems like it's going to get warmer after these storms," Shah said.
Loyola Medicine Allergy Count tracks pollen levels in the Chicago using a pair of devices known as Burkhard Pollen Samplers on the roof of Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Melrose Park.
First Alert Weather meteorologist David Yeomans said the weather has a big impact on allergies.
"When you have a really warm spring, like we've had so far this March – temperatures hitting 80 a few times in parts of the area – that can cause things in your back yard to bloom earlier and maybe fuller than you're used to,"
That can cause allergies to crop up sooner than expected, too.
"What we see with the pollen count is we see kind of extension of seasons. We've seen greater amounts of pollen that are being produced, and that's all reflected in that data," Shah said.
Shah said Gottlieb Memorial Hospital is the only pollen station in the entire state that does pollen counting. She counts it one by one.
"Some days are challenging, because there can be hundreds and sometimes our mold counts can be thousands of granules pollen. So that can be time consuming and challenging, but the way it's done right now, it's one by one," she said.
Pollen is filtered through a slot in the side of each Burkhard Pollen Sampler, landing on a glass slide. The samplers move every 15 seconds, collecting pollen from the air.
Shah said, at the end of each day, she gathers the samples collected and physically counts pollenair samples collected at Gottlieb and measures the pollen particles under a microscope.
"We do mold counts too, and then report that so that patients have a better understanding of what's going on in the environment and explains what some of their symptoms that they have," she said.
You can follow Loyola Medicine Allergy Count on X.