"I'm allergic to air conditioning"... The uninvited guest of the rainy season is quietly approaching

The annual "Shanghai Beach Sauna Festival" has arrived as scheduled. Whether you like it or not, every friend in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai cannot escape the baptism of the warm plum rain season.

At this time, a small peak of allergic rhinitis attacks also occurs. The first words of many patients who come to see the doctor are: "Doctor, I am allergic to air conditioning! In this kind of weather, I sneeze when I turn on the air conditioner, and it feels like a sauna when I don't turn on the air conditioner."

Is it true that people are allergic to air conditioning? In fact, the real culprit may be someone else.

Since it is allergic rhinitis, it must be related to some allergens, right? Common allergens that cause rhinitis include pollen, dust mites, animal dander, mold, etc. Which of them are related to the rainy season? The answer is self-evident - it is mold!

What role does air conditioning play in the rainy season feast of mold?

Molds are everywhere in our lives, especially in high temperature and high humidity environments. The types of molds that cause allergies in Shanghai mainly include Alternaria, Aspergillus, Penicillium, etc. During the rainy season, the humidity rises, and the air is filled with an indescribable sense of moisture, as if it can squeeze out moisture. Such an environment is a hotbed for the growth and reproduction of molds. They thrive in a humid environment, and the tiny spores that are constantly released into the air are one of the main factors that cause our allergies.

After a night of wind and rain, the black mold spots in the house quietly settle in every corner of the humid bathroom, kitchen, and even bedroom, releasing spores that drift in the wind like dandelions, looking for new habitats. For people with allergic rhinitis, these tiny spores immediately trigger allergic reactions, with repeated episodes of sneezing and runny nose.

Why do many people say they are allergic to air conditioners or cold air? This is mainly because the use of air conditioners accelerates the flow of air, so many allergens can float farther and are more easily inhaled by our noses. In Shanghai, the first use of air conditioners in summer is basically in the rainy season in mid-June. Many friends' air conditioners are put into use without disinfection and cleaning, and mold grows on the guide blades and filters of many air conditioner indoor units. At this time, when the air conditioner is turned on, the mold buns will spread with the wind and cover the entire room. At the same time, in a confined space, the air flow of the air conditioner sometimes blows away dust accumulated in some easily overlooked places such as the top of the cabinet, and fine particles or mites in the dust can also cause allergies to worsen.

It can be seen that it is not the air conditioner that is allergic, but the main culprit may be the mold from the air conditioner. Knowing the culprit, prevention is not complicated. Thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting the air conditioner, removing the mold and dust in the corners, can achieve twice the result with half the effort.

In this season of mold carnival, allergic rhinitis is just one of the evidences of mold.

There is another disease in our otolaryngology clinic that is also related to mold and is prone to occur during the rainy season, that is, fungal otitis. When mold spores enter the ear canal, they can find a suitable growth environment there and multiply rapidly. In the clinic, we will take an endoscopic photo of such an ear canal. The ear canal under the endoscope is like a secret jungle, and the pieces of mold hyphae are like huge and towering mushroom forests, blocking the ear canal. In this case, patients often experience itching and discomfort in the ear canal, and sometimes it may cause swelling of the ear canal, increased secretions, and even hearing loss.

In fact, our ancestors have long been aware of diseases caused by humid weather. As early as more than 2,000 years ago, there was a record in the "Book of Rites: Monthly Orders": "If the summer order is implemented in the last month of autumn, there will be floods in the country, winter storage will be damaged, and people will sneeze and runny noses." The general meaning is that after the flood, the items stored in winter will be spoiled and moldy, and people will sneeze and have runny noses. Although the description here is not the plum rain season, it is quite similar. And more than 2,000 years later, we are facing the same rainy season and the same troubles, and we are fully capable of catching and removing the culprit of mold.