Hay Fever Troubles

Seeing the world around us coming into bloom signals a glorius time of the year,not for some it doesn`t.Pollen which is the name given to the fine powder produced by plants, trees or flowers to fertilise other plants, trees or flowers of the same species can be responsible for making many peoples life a misery.
Hay fever a type of allergic reaction caused by pollen or spores floating in the air can make life very uncomfortable for around 2 out of 10 people at this time of the year.
Amongst the different types,grass pollen is the most common cause and tends to affect people every year around the same time from about May to July (late spring to early summer). However, the term hay fever is often associated with allergies caused by other pollens such as tree pollens.

Hay Fever normally occurs when the bodys immune system (the body’s defence system) overreacts to a normally harmless substance, in this case pollen. Once the body becomes affected by pollen, cells in the lining of the nose, mouth and eyes are proven to emit a chemical called histamine. This subsequently triggers the symptoms of an allergic response normally consisting of inflammation of the nose (rhinitis) and eyes (conjunctivitis). On occasion the sinuses and throat may also become affected.

Who Gets It

Around about 2 in every 10 individuals are likely to be affected by Hay Fever which normally develops at young school age with symptoms recurring every year prior to eventually in nearly all cases dissappearing alltogether.If someone else in your household is affected by hay fever subsequently you are far more likely to follow suite.Asthma sufferers are furthermore far more likely to develop an intolerance to pollen.
In selected cases the symptoms of hay fever have a tendency to be very mild and seem to turn up and go but the people who are more severely affected can unfortunately suffer each and every day all through the season.

What are the Symptoms

Several of the most everyday symptoms range from a runny and itchy nose, a blocked nose, sneezing, itchy and watery red eyes, and an itchy throat. Indeed,in selected cases only either nose symptoms occur,or only eye symptoms ,but very probably both.Asthma sufferers may well see the symptoms such as breathlessness,wheezing etc becoming worse.

Treatment

Steroid nose sprays and drops

A steroid nose spray can really perform well in helping to clear all the nose symptoms (itch, sneezing, watering and congestion). It works by helping eliminate inflammation inside the nose. It is not clear how but a steroid nose spray additionally tends to help eye symptoms. Steroid nose drops are additionally sometimes used.

Antihistamine tablets

Antihistamines tablets can be a first-rate alternative. They are proven to help most of the symptoms but might not be quite so efficient at relieving nasal congestion (blocked nose). Antihistamines taken orally are helpful if you have eye symptoms as well as nose symptoms. They are in addition typically given to small children as an alternative to a nasal spray. One dose by and large works within an hour. Therefore, one can be taken 'as required' if symptoms are mild, or come and go. One can also be taken on a regular basis if symptoms occur each day.

Outlook
Although hay fever cannot be completely cured there are many treatments on the market to alleviate the symptoms but if the symptoms persist or turn out to be very uncomfortable a treatment known as immunotherapy can be used to little by little increase a person’s exposure to the allergen while monitoring their response. This can be very useful in reducing the severity of an allergic reaction, but is not neccessarily fitting for everyone.