About Hay Fever

Overview

Hay fever, also known as allergic rhinitis, is an allergic reaction to airborne allergens such as dust mites and pollen. Symptoms tend to centralize in the nose and eyes but they can lead to serious complications if untreated. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 24 million Americans suffer from hay fever annually.

Causes

Allergens, like dust and pollen, are breathed in and trigger the body's immune system to overreact by releasing chemicals like histamine into the blood. These chemicals cause the symptoms like sneezing, watery eyes, and a running nose.
Hay fever can be year-round or seasonal depending on the person. Common seasonal allergens are pollens and molds. Common year-round allergens are dust mites, dander and cockroaches.

Symptoms

Symptoms for hay fever can happen almost immediately when coming into contact with the allergen. These symptoms include sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes and itchiness throughout the facial area. Other symptoms that might develop later on are nasal congestion, coughing, sore throat, headaches, irritability, lack of sleep, swelling and clogged ears.

Complications

Hay fever can lead to or worsen health conditions such as asthma, eczema, sinusitis and ear infections. Hay fever worsens asthma by causing breathing difficulties like shortness of breath or coughing. Hay fever leads to eczema, which is the swelling or redness of skin due to allergic reactions; sinusitis, which is an infection of the sinus membranes; and middle ear infections in children.

It's important to see a physician if your hay fever causes severe symptoms, becomes ongoing, or if complications arise.

Diagnosing

To diagnose hay fever a doctor needs personal and medical family history, a summary of symptoms, and to perform a skin or blood test. In a skin test, the doctor uses a needle with allergens on it and pricks the skin. Then the doctor waits to see if the pricked skin rises, which constitutes an allergic reaction. With blood tests, doctors take a blood sample and send it to the lab where allergens are mixed to determine possible allergic reaction.

Treatment

Nasal sprays, decongestants, and antihistamines are used to treat the symptoms of hay fever. If the symptoms are severe or too difficult to control, then allergy shots are recommended. Allergy shots are injections of allergens in incremental doses to help the body build up immunity.