They're itchy and irritating, debilitating and sometimes life-threatening - food allergies, asthma, eczema, rhinitis and hayfever.
For the first time an allergy clinic is being set up in the Bay. Operating out of the Asthma Hawke's Bay rooms on Marine Parade in Napier, it will be run by Auckland allergist Vincent Crump, who will visit the area on a monthly basis. He will be assisted by Wellington GP, Ernst Fuhrop, who will work once a week on immunotherapy and desensitisation treatments for severe allergies and anaphylactic reaction to bee and wasp stings.
New Zealand and its lush green outdoors has the perfect pollen-making weather - dry weather interspersed with rain.
At this time of the year a runny nose and itchy eyes can often be attributed to seasonal rhinitis or hay fever, heralded in by pine pollen.
"It tells everyone the season is about to start," said Dr Crump. "Year-around allergies are more likely to be caused by perennial allergic rhinitis brought on by dust mites, and cat and dog hair."
Dr Crump found he was treating more patients from Hawke's Bay at the Auckland Allergy Clinic. There's a common belief more people suffer from allergies in Hawke's Bay, but Dr Crump said although many patients have found their problems have got worse after moving here, it isn't confirmed.
In the western world, including New Zealand and Australia, allergies have increased exponentially over the years, together with life-threatening anaphylaxis, said Dr Crump. He also sees a lot of of severely allergic children.
"We're also seeing an increasing number of kids with peanut allergies. "In my first 20 years of practice I'd probably see one case every six months and now I see four patients a week."
He said there are quite a few theories about the increase in allergies. There is the hygiene hypothesis, when kids aren't exposed to bugs, because of our obsession with cleanliness. Global warming may have an affect, with more pollutants and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and a longer pollen season with a higher pollen count. People are also eating more processed foods. In New Zealand a lot of people are deficient in Vitamin D, which is a particular problem in the dark-skinned races - Maori and Indian in particular. He estimates more than 90 per cent of the Indian race suffer from Vitamin D deficiency, because they don't get enough sun, whereas only 40 per cent ofEuropeans do.
"The skin pigment blocks the synthesis of vitamin D in the skin," Dr Crump said. "It's even worse if we use sunblock, which we are encouraged to do.
"A lot of studies have been done in the US and there's a definite link with asthma, hayfever and eczema. Vitamin deficiency is also linked with auto-immune diseases, cancer heart disease."
Dr Crump has also written a book, Allergies - New Zealand's Growing Epidemic, which is available from bookstores.
To book an appointment at the Allergy Clinic ring 09 376 6185 or online at www.allergyclinic.co.nz.