Hay fever
Hay fever
What is Hay fever?
Allergies which affect you during the summer months are commonly referred to as seasonal. Seasonal rhinitis and/or conjunctivitis is most often due to allergy to grass and/or tree pollens.
Hay fever is caused by an allergy to the microscopic tree or grass pollens. These pollens are airborne and are present throughout the spring/summer months. Tree pollens are in the environment as early as January and grass pollen is present from May.
20% of the UK’s population suffers from hay fever which usually starts early in life with 40% of cases by age six and 30% during teens.**
The condition can seriously impair sufferers’ day-to-day life at work or school – for example, young people with symptoms on an exam day were 40% more likely to drop a grade between their mock and final GCSEs.***
How do I know if I have Hay fever?
Hay fever causes symptoms similar to a common or summer cold. These symptoms are often present during the spring/summer months Jan-May through to Aug-Sept and may be more severe on days when the pollen count is high or when enjoying a family picnic in the park or playing field sports.
Your Doctor will take a detailed history which will include the timing, severity and nature of your symptoms. If it is appropriate they will either take a blood sample to look for the specific antibodies found in trees and grass pollen allergy or request that you have a skin prick test.
Skin prick tests are a reliable method of testing for allergies. Small droplets of the suspected allergen are placed on the skin. This droplet of solution is pierced with a small lancet and the results are available to see on the arm within 15 minutes.
What are the symptoms?
Hay fever varies from person to person. You might experience it very occasionally and very mildly – for example, cold symptoms when the pollen count is high. Other people can be laid-low for the duration of the pollen season, experiencing a wide variety of debilitating symptoms.
- Itchy, runny or congested nose.
- Excessive sneezing.
- Coughing, tight chest, wheezing, shortness of breath.
- Irritable, itching, watering eyes.
- Itchy skin, rashes, wheals (hives).
- Congested sinuses and headache.
- Disturbed sleep.
- Poor concentration.
- Symptoms generally occur during the spring/summer months, in areas of high pollen concentration i.e. country parks.
When does it happen?
People with hay fever can experience their symptoms at different times of the year depending on which pollens they’re allergic to. The most common pollen allergies in the UK are grass pollen and tree pollen.
Grass Pollen
Half the UK’s adult hay fever sufferers are allergic to grass pollen*, with rye grass and Timothy being the most common culprits. Symptoms of grass pollen allergies occur between May and July.
Tree pollen
Non-pollen allergies
Often confused with hay fever, perennial allergic rhinitis has similar symptoms to hay fever but occurs all year round. It is commonly caused by dust mites or pets.
The allergic march
Children prone to allergy will often experience a sequence of symptoms known as the allergic march. These particular allergies occur at different stages of a child’s development and sometimes overlap. Generally eczema in babies is the first sign, followed by food allergies at 18 months, asthma at age three and allergic rhinitis from age seven onwards*.
Each allergy prone child experiences this progression differently and some even outgrow it by early adulthood. For others the development of allergic disease can be a life-long struggle.
Specific Immunotherapy may be the only treatment with the capacity to stop the allergic march. Studies have shown that specific immunotherapy in children reduces symptoms and the risk of developing asthma.
10 ways to fight hay fever
Tree and grass pollen is widespread and complete avoidance is impossible. Reducing the times of exposure may reduce the severity of your allergic symptoms.
- Keep your doors and windows shut when the pollen count is high
- Stay indoors at times when the pollen count peaks – mornings and evenings
- Avoid pollen-rich places like grassy parks and fields
- Wear wrap-around sunglasses to keep pollen out of your eyes
- When the pollen count is high, shower and wash your hair after going outside
- Dry your washing indoors when pollen counts are high to keep airborne pollen off your clothes and bed linen
- Avoid grass pollen by asking someone else to cut your lawn
- Keep your house as dust free as possible to minimise indoor allergen levels
- Avoid pets that have been playing outdoors as they can carry pollen on their fur
What treatment is available?
Your Doctor may ask you to try as many avoidance steps as is practical and affordable. Allergen avoidance will often be discussed in addition to medication such as anti histamine tablets and/or nasal sprays.
If you continue to experience troublesome or severe symptoms despite taking your medication as prescribed please discuss this with your Doctor.
For certain severe allergies, allergen immunotherapy is a treatment that may be used in patients who continue to experience troublesome symptoms despite regular medication. Please discuss this with your Doctor because it may not be suitable for all patients.
What is Immunotherapy?
Immunotherapy is suitable for people who cannot control their allergy symptoms using anti allergic medication. It works by stimulating a protective immune response in the body that should reduce or even prevent allergic symptoms to a particular allergen, such as grass pollen. It requires repeated administration of a small amount of allergen extract to reduce symptoms and the need for rescue medication.
Immunotherapy may be given by subcutaneous injections or sublingually (drops/tablet under the tongue) for a period of 3 -5 years.
* AT data on file
** Ref: A Review of Allergy Services 2006
*** Ref: S. Walker et al, hay fever is associated with a significant detrimental impact on exam performance in UK teenagers; case-control study. J ALLERGY CLIN IMMUNOL AUG 2007