Hay fever season arriving early this year
![](https://cdn.cbs.nl/images/3641437330452b4c2b392f4f696251677a6f464c6a413d3d/900x450.jpg)
CBS published the hay fever index for the first time in the spring of 2018. This index shows how the hay fever season progresses on the basis of pharmacy sales of hay fever medication. Last year, turnover of hay fever medication showed a higher peak than in previous years, partly because of the warm weather in April.
In the chart below, the turnover index shows the development of weekly sales of hay fever medication relative to the average weekly turnover in 2016. The same chart displays the changing count of allergenic pollen in the air. It also shows the pollen counts - measured by Elkerliek Hospital - of tree and plant varieties which trigger moderate, severe or very severe allergic reactions such as the hazelnut tree, alder, birch, Poaceae, Rumex, Plantago, Cedar of Lebanon, Artemisia and Ambrosia. Peaks in the sale of over-the-counter medication for the treatment of hay fever are found to coincide, more or less, with airborne pollen counts.
Turnover index medication | Most allergenic pollen | ||
---|---|---|---|
2016 | 1 | 26.5 | 24 |
2016 | 2 | 23.4 | 3 |
2016 | 3 | 22.4 | 13 |
2016 | 4 | 24.3 | 107 |
2016 | 5 | 27.5 | 1013 |
2016 | 6 | 32.9 | 269 |
2016 | 7 | 30.0 | 263 |
2016 | 8 | 35.2 | 179 |
2016 | 9 | 34.9 | 133 |
2016 | 10 | 65.9 | 276 |
2016 | 11 | 95.3 | 303 |
2016 | 12 | 73.4 | 199 |
2016 | 13 | 92.4 | 42 |
2016 | 14 | 134.7 | 1177 |
2016 | 15 | 228.4 | 3475 |
2016 | 16 | 179.9 | 363 |
2016 | 17 | 108.6 | 282 |
2016 | 18 | 326.3 | 711 |
2016 | 19 | 373.3 | 231 |
2016 | 20 | 182.9 | 204 |
2016 | 21 | 259.7 | 85 |
2016 | 22 | 510.4 | 506 |
2016 | 23 | 561.1 | 563 |
2016 | 24 | 159.9 | 39 |
2016 | 25 | 142.1 | 167 |
2016 | 26 | 113.0 | 0 |
2016 | 27 | 135.2 | 510 |
2016 | 28 | 119.1 | 195 |
2016 | 29 | 123.0 | 181 |
2016 | 30 | 88.4 | 16 |
2016 | 31 | 68.7 | 68 |
2016 | 32 | 62.1 | 98 |
2016 | 33 | 67.7 | 82 |
2016 | 34 | 65.1 | 105 |
2016 | 35 | 57.2 | 73 |
2016 | 36 | 54.5 | 102 |
2016 | 37 | 53.3 | 44 |
2016 | 38 | 51.8 | 48 |
2016 | 39 | 44.7 | 71 |
2016 | 40 | 41.7 | 9 |
2016 | 41 | 31.2 | 9 |
2016 | 42 | 32.1 | 3 |
2016 | 43 | 28.1 | 1 |
2016 | 44 | 25.4 | 0 |
2016 | 45 | 22.5 | 1 |
2016 | 46 | 21.4 | 1 |
2016 | 47 | 23.6 | 1 |
2016 | 48 | 22.4 | 0 |
2016 | 49 | 20.7 | 0 |
2016 | 50 | 22.5 | 0 |
2016 | 51 | 27.2 | 0 |
2016 | 52 | 26.6 | 6 |
2017 | 1 | 24.9 | 6 |
2017 | 2 | 22.5 | 21 |
2017 | 3 | 22.1 | 7 |
2017 | 4 | 24.9 | 10 |
2017 | 5 | 25.9 | 18 |
2017 | 6 | 23.0 | 3 |
2017 | 7 | 31.2 | 351 |
2017 | 8 | 40.4 | 880 |
2017 | 9 | 53.8 | 150 |
2017 | 10 | 65.3 | 47 |
2017 | 11 | 111.3 | 124 |
2017 | 12 | 110.7 | 9 |
2017 | 13 | 221.3 | 2623 |
2017 | 14 | 184.8 | 1017 |
2017 | 15 | 172.5 | 381 |
2017 | 16 | 120.8 | 143 |
2017 | 17 | 115.3 | 93 |
2017 | 18 | 126.7 | 64 |
2017 | 19 | 144.7 | 26 |
2017 | 20 | 171.5 | 171 |
2017 | 21 | 420.1 | |
2017 | 22 | 505.9 | 290 |
2017 | 23 | 272.9 | 307 |
2017 | 24 | 297.9 | 139 |
2017 | 25 | 238.0 | 235 |
2017 | 26 | 126.0 | 122 |
2017 | 27 | 129.6 | 156 |
2017 | 28 | 103.7 | 81 |
2017 | 29 | 109.3 | 25 |
2017 | 30 | 83.3 | 64 |
2017 | 31 | 73.9 | 50 |
2017 | 32 | 62.6 | 63 |
2017 | 33 | 56.9 | 65 |
2017 | 34 | 64.6 | 62 |
2017 | 35 | 56.0 | 26 |
2017 | 36 | 44.3 | 7 |
2017 | 37 | 36.0 | 25 |
2017 | 38 | 37.7 | 31 |
2017 | 39 | 33.9 | 17 |
2017 | 40 | 30.5 | 20 |
2017 | 41 | 30.5 | 6 |
2017 | 42 | 30.1 | 1 |
2017 | 43 | 30.6 | 1 |
2017 | 44 | 30.2 | 1 |
2017 | 45 | 27.4 | 0 |
2017 | 46 | 24.9 | 0 |
2017 | 47 | 25.7 | 0 |
2017 | 48 | 25.5 | 0 |
2017 | 49 | 21.9 | 3 |
2017 | 50 | 32.9 | 0 |
2017 | 51 | 42.9 | 2 |
2017 | 52 | 42.4 | 48 |
2018 | 1 | 29.1 | 5 |
2018 | 2 | 27.2 | 70 |
2018 | 3 | 25.9 | 23 |
2018 | 4 | 31.8 | 143 |
2018 | 5 | 34.4 | 60 |
2018 | 6 | 31.2 | 143 |
2018 | 7 | 33.1 | 262 |
2018 | 8 | 38.3 | 217 |
2018 | 9 | 33.5 | 84 |
2018 | 10 | 58.9 | 1054 |
2018 | 11 | 83.3 | 237 |
2018 | 12 | 66.7 | 42 |
2018 | 13 | 78.5 | 8 |
2018 | 14 | 126.1 | 330 |
2018 | 15 | 263.2 | 3709 |
2018 | 16 | 540.1 | 4398 |
2018 | 17 | 257.8 | 380 |
2018 | 18 | 231.0 | 45 |
2018 | 19 | 293.7 | 88 |
2018 | 20 | 204.9 | 120 |
2018 | 21 | 607.4 | 661 |
2018 | 22 | 452.5 | 742 |
2018 | 23 | 302.0 | 318 |
2018 | 24 | 203.2 | 312 |
2018 | 25 | 138.1 | 189 |
2018 | 26 | 168.9 | 281 |
2018 | 27 | 169.7 | 236 |
2018 | 28 | 110.2 | 124 |
2018 | 29 | 117.2 | 61 |
2018 | 30 | 92.5 | 145 |
2018 | 31 | 75.0 | 96 |
2018 | 32 | 57.6 | 100 |
2018 | 33 | 49.3 | 11 |
2018 | 34 | 46.1 | 14 |
2018 | 35 | 44.1 | 28 |
2018 | 36 | 37.4 | 61 |
2018 | 37 | 36.9 | 86 |
2018 | 38 | 37.4 | 62 |
2018 | 39 | 34.8 | 18 |
2018 | 40 | 30.6 | 4 |
2018 | 41 | 29.5 | 6 |
2018 | 42 | 35.4 | 3 |
2018 | 43 | 33.2 | 6 |
2018 | 44 | 31.4 | 2 |
2018 | 45 | 28.4 | 0 |
2018 | 46 | 25.9 | 0 |
2018 | 47 | 28.4 | 3 |
2018 | 48 | 27.1 | 0 |
2018 | 49 | 25.0 | 1 |
2018 | 50 | 26.6 | 0 |
2018 | 51 | 33.0 | 10 |
2018 | 52 | 41.5 | 49 |
2019 | 1 | 38.3 | 49 |
2019 | 2 | 30.1 | 3 |
2019 | 3 | 35.5 | 54 |
2019 | 4 | 31.8 | 12 |
2019 | 5 | 31.9 | 22 |
2019 | 6 | 32.5 | 157 |
2019 | 7 | 100.4 | 4915 |
2019 | 8 | 258.1 | 4242 |
2019 | 9 | 279.9 | 1366 |
2019 | 10 | 91.2 | 75 |
Source: CBS, Elkerliek hospital |
High pollen concentrations in February
A sharp increase in concentrations of alder and hazelnut pollen in particular was measured in February, following a week with relatively high temperatures. This immediately led to increased sales of hay fever medication, which lasted for several weeks. Sales dropped again at the beginning of March, when pollen concentrations in the air had decreased significantly.
Turnover of hay fever medication
The hay fever index - the turnover index of hay fever medication - is based on weekly sales figures obtained from Dutch pharmacies. This involves self-medication products which are available without prescription at a pharmacy. This type of medication is in the form of tablets, nasal sprays or eye drops which relieve allergic reactions. These weekly data have been processed by the CBS Centre for Big Data Statistics (CBDS) into a weekly turnover index of hay fever medication. The turnover index is not designed to provide the total sales volume of hay fever medication in the Netherlands, but to give more insight into the development of the hay fever season and the purchasing moments of consumers, based on developments in weekly sales.
Sources
- Innovation - Hay fever index