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Lachrymation, rhinitis and cough – all of these signs most people regard as symptoms of a developing cold. However, if they disturb a person in spring, summer or autumn, and also repeat at about the same period, then this does not indicate a viral infection, but seasonal hay fever.
hay fever (from the Latin “pollen” or pollen) is an allergic disease that manifests itself during the flowering of plants. In this case, a person begins to sneeze, cough, may suffer from asthma attacks, sometimes skin rashes appear. According to the CDC, 8,1% of the population is allergic to pollen. [1].
Pollinosis develops in people who have received a defective gene from their parents. For the first time, the disease makes itself felt at an early age. Women are more likely to suffer from hay fever. If it is not treated, then it threatens to become chronic, which in the future will lead to the development of bronchial asthma.
Causes of hay fever
Pollinosis manifests itself in a person who has altered genes, precisely at the time when plants begin to bloom, to which his immunity reacts sharply. These genes cause the immune system to activate, which leads to pathological reactions.
These plants are wind pollinated. Their microscopic pollen, together with inhaled air, enters the bronchi, mucous membranes of the lips, eyes, and oral cavity. It also sticks to the skin. In each of the listed structures there are immune cells that recognize pollen particles that are pathological for them and begin to release histamine and histidine into the blood. Such a reaction of the body is manifested by the corresponding symptoms.
Genetic predisposition
The likelihood of developing hay fever in a child:
If both parents are allergic, then the child develops the disease in 50% of cases.
If only the mother or father suffers from pollinosis, then the probability of developing the disease in a child is 25%.
If the parents do not have an allergy, then the probability of developing it in a child is 10%. Provided that he lives in ecologically favorable areas from birth, was born in winter or early spring (not during the flowering period of plants), and also rarely encounters viral infections, the likelihood of hay fever is minimized.
Scientists have identified some risk factors that increase the likelihood of developing allergies in a child.
They include:
The child was born from a woman who, in the late stages of pregnancy, suffered acute hay fever.
The child was born in the warm season.
The child lives in an area with unfavorable environmental conditions.
During the first six months of his life in the city, toxic substances were released into the air from industrial enterprises.
Complementary foods were introduced to the baby too early, or without observing the basic rules.
The child ate foods that have protein compounds similar to allergen pollen.
Flowering times for plants:
A person can feel the first symptoms of hay fever already in the spring – at the end of April or at the beginning of May. Pollen of such trees as: alder, hazel, birch, poplar, oak or linden can provoke its development. Less commonly, the cause of an allergic reaction is the pollen of trees such as: spruce, fir, cedar, pine. The fact is that the particles of their pollen are large, therefore, not all people cause allergies.
Another outbreak of the disease is observed at the end of May, at the beginning of July. At this time, cereals bloom. Pollinosis can be provoked by cultivated plants (barley, wheat, oats, rye) and weeds (couch grass, feather grass, bent grass, foxtail, timothy, ryegrass). If a person suffers from an allergy to the pollen of these plants, and also eats cereals from the listed cereals, then his illness will be more severe. In this case, allergens will enter the body not only with air, but also with food. It should not be expected that heat treatment will change the chemical composition of the allergen protein. It will still provoke an allergic reaction.
Many people believe that poplar fluff is the cause of their allergies. In fact, it cannot enter the respiratory tract, as it is too large. However, the fluff carries fine pollen on itself, therefore it contributes to the occurrence of hay fever.
Allergy often develops at the end of July, in August and in September. During this period, weeds such as ragweed, quinoa, wormwood and nettles bloom.
Pollinosis does not haunt a person all year round. It develops in residents of various climatic zones when plants bloom in large numbers. For example, in southern countries, the disease manifests earlier, and in northern countries, later.
It has an effect on pollinosis rains. If they go often, then a person tolerates allergies more easily. In a drought, the symptoms of pollinosis are gaining intensity. This is due to the fact that dry air carries pollen better, and spreads it over impressive distances. Rains, on the contrary, nail it to the ground. If the air temperature drops, then the person becomes better, since the pollen does not rise above the level of the legs. However, before a thunderstorm, the concentration of pollen in the air increases significantly.
Risk factors for hay fever
The likelihood of developing hay fever in a child:
Having other allergies or asthma
Presence of atopic dermatitis (eczema)
Having a blood relative (such as a parent or sibling) with allergies or asthma
A job that constantly exposes you to allergens such as animal dander or dust mites
The risk is increased if the mother smoked during the first year of the child’s life.
Symptoms of hay fever
A person suffering from pollinosis will notice that the disease manifests at the same time every year.
Its first symptoms are:
Itching in nose, throat, ears.
Sneezing
Lachrymation and itching in the eyes. Allergic conjunctivitis is manifested by photophobia and a feeling of sand in the eyes.
A few hours after the allergen enters the respiratory tract, a person develops one or more of the following symptoms:
Swelling and redness of the eyelids, as well as the mucous membrane of the eyes.
Purulent contents begin to stand out from the eyes.
The patient has a paroxysmal cough.
Breathing is difficult, there may be attacks of suffocation.
Body temperature rises to subfebrile levels.
The person becomes irritable, his fatigue increases.
Rashes appear on the skin. They may look like large spots, as with hives, or be in the form of a small punctate rash, reminiscent of atopic dermatitis.
The genitals may begin to itch.
Allergy sufferers often develop symptoms of cystitis. They begin to visit the toilet frequently to empty their bladders. During urination, sharp pains appear, as well as a feeling that the organ is not completely empty.
If a person develops an allergy to rye, oat or wheat pollen and at the same time he eats these products, then the allergy will be severe. The patient has signs of damage to the respiratory organs, and also develops edema of the mucous membrane of the digestive tract with their inflammation. This will be indicated by abdominal pain, nausea, loose stools, and diarrhea.
Cross allergy. During an exacerbation of pollinosis, the likelihood of developing a cross allergy increases. At the same time, the symptoms of the underlying disease are gaining intensity. This happens for the reason that antigens that have a similar structure to the main allergens enter the body. Most often, their source is food, which will be described later in the article.
Video: Natalia Ilyina, allergist-immunologist, MD, professor, chief physician of the Institute of Immunology, will talk about hay fever:
Lifestyle correction
When the disease worsens, you need to make sure that the allergen enters the body as little as possible. To do this, you need to clean your clothes, body and your home from pollen as much as possible.
Instructions for the patient to follow:
Rinse the nose and throat with saline, sea salt solution, or saline solutions (Humer, Aquamaris).
Shower more often and rinse your face with clean water. Be sure to carry out these procedures after returning from the street.
Every day to do wet cleaning in the apartment.
After rain and in the evening, ventilate the room.
Limit your time outdoors on hot and windy days.
Rest in places where there are water bodies and plants that cause allergies do not grow.
Do not leave the city during the flowering period.
Humidify the air in the apartment. To do this, you can purchase a humidifier, windows should be hung with damp gauze. It needs to be washed frequently and ensured that it does not dry out.
Refuse carpets, feather pillows, down blankets, soft toys. All of them collect dust and pollen, so they become a source of allergens.
In winter, you need to focus on increasing the body’s defenses:
Stick to a daily routine.
harden.
To refuse from bad habits.
Do sport.
Compliance with diet
The diet should be designed in such a way that the body does not receive products that can provoke allergies. Under the ban falls honey, milk, citrus fruits, chocolate.
Features of the diet for hay fever:
Allergen | Prohibited Products |
cereal crops | Cereal porridge, beer, bread, flour products, sorrel, pasta |
Birch, apple tree, alder | Kiwi, plums, peaches, red apples, tomatoes, potatoes, apricots, cucumbers, cherries, hazelnuts, celery |
Sagebrush | Sunflower seeds, citrus fruits, honey, chicory |
Ambrosia | Sunflower seeds, melon and bananas |
Quinoa | Spinach and beets |
weeds | Honey, potatoes, sunflower seeds, beets, margarine, watermelons |
Taking medicines
Antihistamines. The basis of the treatment of hay fever is antihistamines. They block the production of histamine, relieving common allergy symptoms. During an exacerbation of the disease, first-generation drugs are prescribed: Suprastin, Tavegil, Diazolin, etc.
Therapy with 1st generation drugs can be supplemented with 3rd generation drugs. Their distinguishing feature is the absence of a feeling of drowsiness.
These funds include:
Cetirizine, Cetrin, Zodak, Zyrtec, L-cet.
Fexofast (Allegra, Fexadine).
Loratadine (Claritin, Klarotadine).
Erius (Eden, Lordestin, Desloratadine-TEVA, Desal).
In addition, antihistamines are used in the form of drops:
Kromoglin (Kromoheksal, Kromosol).
Spray Allergodil.
Beconase (Nasobek), Avamys (Nazarel). These drugs are available in the form of nasal sprays, they contain glucocorticosteroid hormones, so they are prescribed only when hay fever is complicated by sinusitis.
Antihistamines of the 1st generation for acute allergies are prescribed without fail. They need to be taken at least for a short course. They stop the symptoms of allergies, making it easier for the patient to breathe. Take medication before bed. During the day, you can use 3rd generation products that do not cause drowsiness.
If, after the abolition of antihistamines, the symptoms of hay fever do not recede, then Ketotifen is used for treatment. This is a drug with a prolonged effect that blocks histamine receptors. It will be possible to feel its therapeutic effect on the body only after 1-2 months from the start of therapy. At the same time, a person will stop suffering from a runny nose, he will have a rash and lacrimation, as well as a painful dry cough.
Oral corticosteroids. If pollinosis has a severe course, then for a short period of time the patient is prescribed glucocorticosteroid drugs (Metipred or Prednisolone). In parallel, a person should take medicines to protect the stomach, for example, Omeprazole or Almagel. Long-term use is prohibited, as they cause cataracts, muscle weakness and osteoporosis.
Nasal corticosteroids. Sprays of this type treat the inflammation caused by hay fever. They offer a safe and effective long-term treatment. You can see the first results in a week. The most popular include Flixonase, Altsedin, Nasonex, Avamys, Polydex and other analogues. And unlike oral corticosteroids, the sprays are safe. [3].
Sublingual immunotherapy (ASIT). Immunotherapy gradually reduces the sensitivity of patients to allergens that cause their symptoms (in some situations, treatment can be long, up to 4-5 years). However, it leads to a long-term remission and also prevents the development of asthma and new allergies. [4].
These drugs include: Antipollin, Diater, Lays Dermatophagoides and Lays Grass, Allergens Staloral and others, but these drugs should be prescribed to you only by a doctor, after identifying the allergen! Self-medication is not permissible, since each drug serves as a certain allergen.
The ASIT course is shown in the cold season. The doctor injects the allergen under the skin in a small dosage (this will avoid anaphylactic shock), or prescribes oral medication at home. Gradually increase the dose of the allergen. This will allow the body to adapt to a substance alien to it, and when the flowering period comes, the person will be ready for it.
Sometimes 1 course of ASIT is enough to cope with hay fever. Although in some cases they need to be repeated over several years.
Elimination of the symptoms of the disease
Depending on which symptoms of hay fever come to the fore, the patient may be prescribed drugs such as:
Vasoconstrictor drugs – Nazol, Lazolvan-rino, NOKsprey. These drugs are used for difficult nasal breathing. The course of their application is 7 days. They are prescribed only when nasal congestion is very strong and there is a possibility of developing sinusitis.
With asthma — Acolath, Singular. These drugs are leukotriene antagonists. They are prescribed when symptoms of bronchial asthma appear, when a person has difficulty breathing on exhalation, asthma attacks occur.
With inflammation of the eyes – Ketotifen and Vizin Allergy. These eye drops are used for severe inflammation of the organs of vision and for severe lacrimation.
natural remedies
Turmeric contains anti-allergic and natural decongestant properties. Studies have shown that turmeric suppresses allergic reactions [5].
A 2012 review of 10 studies found that saline nasal rinsing had a beneficial effect on both children and adults with hay fever [6].
Video: What to do if hay fever interferes with life?