Everything you need to know about hay fever, including symptoms, causes, and treatments

People with hay fever can experience symptoms anytime from mid-March to autumn, but It depends on which pollen you are allergic to..

The main tree season begins in March, but alder trees begin pollinating in February. According to Dr. Adams Groom, alder trees don't affect most people, but they can act as a “primer” for people who suffer from birch tree allergies.

Birch pollen affects 25 to 35 percent of people with hay fever, and people start feeling symptoms in mid-to-late March, when birch trees release pollen.

“Birch trees are very popular in the UK, fast growing and beautiful, but for patients they are a major source of pollen allergens,” says Dr Morris. “March is the primary tree month. Sometimes the season starts early, sometimes later. You know the season is coming when you see all the catkins on your birch trees.”

Oak tree pollen arrives a little later in April and May and affects about 20 percent of hay fever sufferers.

Many charities and campaigners are calling on local councils to choose alternative, less allergenic trees when planting trees. In some areas of Germany and Denmark, birch trees are not planted.

That being said, the worst offender is grass pollen, which affects 95 percent of hay fever sufferers. The season begins a little later in May and lasts until July.

grass pollen If it is regularly mowed, it usually does not come from lawns in the garden, but from flowering grasses growing in edges and meadows.

“Grass pollen is a big problem in the UK, where the combination of rain and good sun can result in heavy pollination and very high levels. In France and Italy, the problem is less It’s not serious,” says Dr. Morris.

Approximately 20% of hay fever patients are also allergic to pollen from weeds such as nettle and dogwood, and the hay fever season lasts from June to early autumn.

When can a “pollen bomb” occur?

“Pollen bomb” “'' is not a term recognized by experts, but it is a convenient way to describe days with very high pollen counts. This usually occurs on warm days when temperatures are high and soaring.

“It often occurs during the May holidays when many people are out in the parks,” says Dr. Morris. “The worst times are around 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Pollen is dispersed in large quantities early in the morning, increases as the day warms, and is up to nose level by about 11 a.m. And as the day gets hotter, it rises higher in the atmosphere.

“As temperatures cool, the pollen returns to the ground and arrives at nose level around 6pm, when people start thinking about having a barbecue.”

Rain may improve the situation by washing away the pollen, but thunderstorms can make the situation worse by scattering pollen and pulverizing it into smaller pieces.

Diagnosis and testing

Many people with hay fever can guess what is causing their symptoms based on when and where they occur.

If this is not possible, a skin prick test (SPT) may be used. In this test, pollen is applied to your skin, and if you have an allergy, a red, itchy rash appears.

Blood tests are also used, and samples are analyzed for comprehensive analysis of specific antibodies produced in response to common allergens.

If you are considering immunotherapy or desensitization therapy, you should get tested to make sure you have the right allergen.

Treatment for hay fever

The first-line treatment for hay fever allergies is antihistamines. There are various types, but they are broadly divided into antihistamines that make you sleepy, such as Piriton, and antihistamines that do not make you sleepy, such as Claritin.

“These are very effective, especially when combined with steroid nasal sprays, which dampen the nasal response,” says Dr. Morris.