Also known as seasonal allergic rhinitis, hay fever is becoming more and more common in the UK. A large number of the population suffer from it.
This is a direct allergy to pollen, either from grass, flowers or trees. It is normally restricted to the spring, summer and autumn months when the grass is in seed and the flowers, trees and weeds are in full germination mode.
Hay fever treatment falls into two categories:
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If your hay fever symptoms are severe, there are many antihistamines and steroid sprays available in chemists. If your symptoms are really bothering you, visit your GP. We offer a range of natural hay fever remedies that can be helpful for mild cases of seasonal allergic rhinitis.
Almost anyone can get hay fever. People can develop it in childhood or adulthood. Some people react only to one type of pollen and others react to many different types of pollens.
Like with any allergy, hay fever symptoms also vary in their severity from mild sneezing to much more debilitating symptoms. These can affect people so much that life becomes very difficult during the summer months.
Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen. Severity of symptoms is directly related to the amount of pollen in the air and the amount of pollen that the sufferer is exposed to. This can vary depending on pollen count, heat, and time of day.
There are a variety of different types of pollen - you may be allergic to one in particular or more. The main 'hay fever season' tends to run from March through to August. These months typically have higher pollen counts. The three main types that people can react to are tree (March to May), grass (May to July) and weed pollens (June to September). The Met Office's Pollen Forecast is a good resource to help you prepare and manage your symptoms.
Some people find that their hay fever symptoms worsen at night time. A possible reason for this is the 'pollen shower'. When warm air rises up from ground level on a summer's day, it takes pollen with it high into the Earth's atmosphere. When the air cools down after sunset, it slowly descends again, creating an invisible pollen shower.
Symptoms can include (but are not limited to):
Linda Gamlin in The Allergy Bible states that the less common symptoms of hay fever could be:
Some sufferers also experience:
Even more rarely there can be:
References and Information Sources:
The Allergy Bible, Linda Gamlin, Quadrille 2001 p26 and p126.
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