While the arrival of spring makes everyone happy, for many it means an increase in the symptoms of the disease. With each warmer day, they sneeze and cry more. Can you welcome spring without these ailments?
Almost 30% of Europeans suffer from allergic rhinitis or conjunctivitis. The peak of occurrence is in the age group between 20 and 40 years of age. Fortunately, the development of medicine allows even allergy sufferers to enjoy spring.
Pollen causes allergies
Plant pollen is certainly used to sensitize people, they are necessary for plant reproduction. Due to the fact that they can move, they reach the flower pistil and then it becomes dusty. Some pollen is carried by insects, some by water, and some by wind. These are those wandering with the wind that are a nuisance for allergy sufferers. As the majority of allergy sufferers live in cities, the expansion of this disease is suspected to be due to changes in pollen composition due to exhaust fumes. The city’s pollen is smaller and caked with exhaust particles, and their cell membranes are damaged. Therefore, city dwellers are more often allergic to grass pollen than rural residents, although there is certainly more grass in the countryside.
When pollen reaches the nose, throat or conjunctiva, it is recognized by our cells as an intruder. In allergy sufferers, the body starts overreacting. – The nose is trying to clear allergens, it produces more secretions – hence a runny nose. Sneezing also has a cleansing function. The swelling of the mucous membranes caused by allergy clogs the orifices of the paranasal sinuses and the nasolacrimal ducts. The effect is that allergy sufferers can get sinusitis because bacteria grow in the unventilated chambers. In addition, the conjunctiva attacked by the allergen is not properly cleaned by tears, so they start to sting and itching appears – explains Dr. Michał Wątróbski, ENT specialist.
Allergic reaction
The best way to avoid suffering from allergies is to avoid allergens. – An allergic reaction is a warning that tells us what to avoid. Thanks to it, we know what is harmful to us – says prof. Piotr Kuna, allergist, director of the University Clinical Hospital No. 1 in Łódź. However, it is not always possible to avoid encountering an allergen. It is worth getting up on antihistamines that neutralize histamine – the main cause of symptoms such as sneezing, itching, tearing or runny nose. It is important to use them before the season, because then they will block histamine receptors and the allergy sufferer, despite the triggered histamine, will not feel its effect. However, when the symptoms of allergy make life difficult – nasal obstruction, headache, itchy eyes and palate appear, preparations are used to reduce the swelling of the mucosa. If inflammation joins it, steroids sometimes need to be used. Such a severely responding allergy sufferer should become desensitized, otherwise he will be doomed to take medications for longer and longer periods of the year.
Treatment of allergies
Allergy sufferers can help themselves in the fight against allergy with over-the-counter preparations. – It is worth rinsing the nose after coming from a walk and moisturizing it when we are in intensely air-conditioned rooms. Rinsing the nose with a preparation available at the pharmacy allows the mucosa to have less contact with allergens. It should also be remembered that dry mucosa in contact with the allergen multiplies the symptoms of allergy – says Dr. Wątróbski. We can buy preparations with sea salt and ectoine in pharmacies. Ectoine is produced by bacteria living in the desert environment, able to live in both strongly alkaline and strongly acidified hot waters. It is a substance of natural origin. Its use strengthens the skin’s protection function, and as it has a unique ability to bind water – it leaves it moisturized for a long time. In addition, it facilitates the regeneration of the sensitive nasal mucosa. Also, special eye drops allow you to remove allergens and create a protective water layer and facilitate the regeneration of the sensitive conjunctiva.
Text: Halina Pilonis
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