Read more: Local, Health, Rio Grande Valley, Health, Asthma, Allergies, Mcallen, Texas, National Study, Survey, Action4investigates
The climate, population and wind makes the Rio Grande Valley a challenging place for people with asthma and allergies, a local allergy expert said.
Dr. William McKenna has been treating Valley patients for many years. He said he was not surprised that a recent study by an asthma group placed the area as the eight most challenging for people living with asthma.
Dr. McKenna told Action 4 News that there are three main causes.
"Our developing population and therefore more trees and more grass being planted taking over some off the agricultural areas," he said.
Second, he said, was the wind, which allows the pollens produced by more plants to be carried throughout a greater area.
And the third, the climate.
“Not having a typical freeze in this area makes it more of a longer time period where pollens and mold are in the air," McKenna said.
He added that the allergy situation is not likely to change anytime soon. But he said that people in the Valley should not resign to living with allergies.
"People should not have to suffer significantly because treatments are so much advanced now in comparison to 10-20 years ago," he said.
One of his patients, Sue Bartneski, has suffered from asthma and allergies all her life.
She described her life, living with allergies, as “miserable.” Often, she added, she was unable to breath, and constantly suffered from “itchy, watery eyes.”
"With allergies, I think it increased the asthma," she said.
She turned to McKenna for help and said she is now only taking an allergy shot once every three weeks, as opposed to medicines and inhalers every day.
"It's made a big difference and it's been life-impacting," Bartneski said.
