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Lexington, Ky., Tops the 2008 Spring Allergy Capitals List

By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Health News

Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD

April 24, 2008 — Lexington, Ky., tops the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America's 2008 list of "spring allergy capitals."

Greensboro, N.C., takes second place, followed by Johnson City, Tenn., Augusta, Ga., and Jackson, Miss. in fifth place.

The annual list is based on four factors: allergy prevalence, seasonal pollen, allergy medication use per patient, and the number of board-certified allergy specialists per patient. Rankings can change quite a bit from year to year. For instance, Lexington leads this year's rankings but was in the No. 52 spot on the 2007 list.

Here is the complete list of 2008 spring allergy capitals:

• Lexington, Ky.
• Greensboro, N.C.
• Johnson City, Tenn.
• Augusta, Ga.
• Jackson, Miss.
• Knoxville, Tenn.
• Birmingham, Ala.
• New Orleans
• Little Rock, Ark.
• San Diego
• Oklahoma City
• Mobile, Ala.
• South Bend, Ind.
• Omaha, Neb.
• Stockton, Calif.
• McAllen, Texas
• Greenville, S.C.
• Nashville, Tenn.
• Tulsa, Okla.
• Harrisburg, Pa.
• Louisville, Ky.
• Dallas-Fort Worth
• Charlotte, N.C.
• Tampa, Fla.
• Philadelphia
• St. Louis
• Scranton, Pa.
• Lansing, Mich.
• Madison, Wis.
• Rochester, N.Y.
• Daytona Beach, Fla.
• Memphis
• Milwaukee, Wis.
• Norfolk, Va.
• Pensacola, Fla.
• Charleston, S.C.
• Cleveland, Ohio
• Indianapolis
• Houston
• Lakeland, Fla.
• Baltimore
• Sacramento, Calif.
• Columbia, S.C.
• Kansas City, Mo.
• New York
• San Antonio
• Allentown, Pa.
• Wichita, Kan.
• Albuquerque, N.M.
• Baton Rouge, La.
• Washington, D.C.
• Providence, R.I.
• Fort Wayne, Ind.
• Austin, Texas
• Canton, Ohio
• Atlanta
• Kalamazoo, Mich.
• Chattanooga, Tenn.
• Boston
• Detroit
• Grand Rapids, Mich.
• Hartford, Conn.
• Denver
• Dayton, Ohio
• Tucson, Ariz.
• Buffalo, N.Y.
• Des Moines, Iowa
• Syracuse, N.Y.
• Salt Lake City
• Minneapolis-St. Paul
• Cincinnati
• Columbus, Ohio
• Chicago
• Boise City, Idaho
• Albany, N.Y.
• El Paso, Texas
• Richmond, Va.
• Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, N.C.
• Las Vegas
• Jacksonville, Fla.
• Melbourne, Fla.
• Pittsburgh
• Miami
• Toledo, Ohio
• Modesto, Calif.
• Los Angeles
• Springfield, Mass.
• Youngstown, Ohio
• Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Seattle
• Phoenix-Mesa, Ariz.
• Fresno, Calif.
• Portland, Ore.
• Fort Myers, Fla.
• Orlando, Fla.
• Lancaster, Pa.
• Sarasota, Fla.
• Bakersfield, Calif.
• San Francisco
• Spokane, Wash.

SOURCES: Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America: "Spring Allergy Capitals 2008." WebMD Health News: "Tulsa Tops Spring Allergy City List."

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