There is an estimate that in the UK 21 million people suffer from at least one allergy. There are many different types of allergies. We are right at the beginning of spring which comes hand in hand with hay fever. We were speaking to Dr Enam Abood about what hay fever actually is and how to get it under control.
What is hay fever?
It’s an allergic reaction to certain things, particularly things coming from plants. So it’s a seasonal allergy – it happens in this time of the year. So when people breathe pollens coming from trees and flowers their bodies react. They make antibodies against pollens and they have symptoms. The symptoms are sneezing, itchy eyes, itchy nose and itchy throat. Some people have mild symptoms, but some people can have severe symptoms. Some people can have the symptoms for one or two weeks, some people can have them for two months or more. So this is what they call hay fever.
When should I suspect that I suffer from hay fever not just common cold?
Sometimes it’s difficult to differentiate. If you have a common cold (a virus infection) the person could have blocked nose, sneezing, and watery eyes. A person with common cold usually would not suffer from itchy eyes, itchy nose or itchy throat. Usually the condition will get better in 3 to 4 days. With the hay fever the symptoms could be very similar, but most people would have itchy symptoms and it does not go away by itself in 3 or 4 days.
The interesting thing is that people who emigrate from a different country to Britain, for example, can develop an allergy. The first year they may not have anything, but the second or third year they may start having allergies because their body is not used to new types of pollens, but in many cases these allergies settle down after 3 to 5 years.
What can be done to minimize the symptoms?
The common treatment for hay fever is to take antihistamine tablets. Histamine is the chemical produced in the body from mast cells. The mast cells are producing histamine granules and they are the ones that cause the allergic reaction. Antihistamine prevents mast cells from releasing histamine granules. This treatment, generally speaking, should be enough for 75 – 80% people. It won’t diminish the symptoms completely, but they will be well and functional. Usually you take one tablet a day in the morning or in the evening as some tablets can cause drowsiness. So that’s the usual course of action. However it does not work for everyone. There are maybe 20% of people for whom this treatment does not help. These people may benefit from taking an injection. It’s a mild steroid injection used if the symptoms are severe and not controlled. And there are of course other treatments available and tips that can help.
Is it possible to test if I’m allergic?
Yes, there are allergy tests, usually skin prick or blood tests. The allergy test depends on the antibodies. That means we check for what your body fought against. The antibodies are traces of the fight and the antibodies identify to what you are allergic to. With a skin prick they put common pollens, like pollen from the trees and flowers in the skin and according to the skin reaction doctors will see what specific pollens you are allergic to. Blood tests quantify the severity as well.
