One man’s joy, another man’s sorrow: for most, spring is associated with joyful springtime feelings. For hay fever sufferers, on the other hand, the time of sneezing attacks, nasal tingling and reddened eyes begins. In Germany, about one in five people is affected – and the trend is rising. Hay fever attacks are triggered by pollen from trees, shrubs, grasses and cereals. They enter the body through the respiratory tract and trigger an allergic reaction in hypersensitive people: The messenger substance histamine is released and the body tries to fight off the “intruders” through symptoms such as sneezing and watery eyes.
Pollen fly earlier and earlier
With mild temperatures, the first pollen is already flying in winter – the season for pollen allergy sufferers now begins with hazelnut and alder already between February and March. Experts are concerned about the trend of pollen starting a little earlier each year. The increasingly polluted air we breathe, especially in summer, has also been shown to contribute to the rising number of hay fever sufferers. Experts also point out that plants that have been introduced or are spreading more frequently, such as ragweed or ash, can increasingly cause allergies.
Typical symptoms of hay fever
Not every affected person reacts allergically to every type of pollen. Therefore, symptoms occur at different times – depending on when the corresponding plant blooms and disperses its pollen. Some allergy sufferers are plagued by allergic rhinitis almost all year round. The first signs are itchy and reddened eyes and a tingling in the nose. Then the mucous membranes swell and there is tearing, sneezing and nasal congestion. Here is an overview of the symptoms of hay fever:
- Runny nose with very strong watery fluid formation.
- Blocked nose due to the swollen mucous membrane
- Violent, frequent sneezing attacks, itching.
- On the eye: redness, itching, burning, sensitivity to light, lacrimation.
- Headache, fatigue, fatigue, irritability.
Other consequences of pollen allergy
The symptoms mentioned are the rather harmless complaints of a pollen allergy. Affected persons with strong allergic reactions or in which the hay fever persists for a long time, can develop further symptoms, for example:
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Bronchial asthma
- Gastrointestinal disorders
- Migraine or
- Skin eczema
Allergy sufferers also often complain of sleep disturbances, concentration problems and depression. In some cases, allergy sufferers also experience nosebleeds. Because while the mucous membranes are already dried out by the dry air in spring, hay fever can trigger inflammation in the nose and further dry out the mucous membrane. As a result, some allergy sufferers keep finding blood in their handkerchief after blowing their nose.
Diagnosis hay fever
The symptoms of hay fever are so typical that the suspected diagnosis is usually quickly established. Clues as to which pollen triggers the allergic symptoms are provided by the time of year when hay fever occurs:
- The first to fly are hazel and alder pollen, sometimes already in winter.
- In April and May, it is mainly poplar, willow, birch, oak and beech.
- Rye pollen and from other cereal pollen and most sweet grasses in meadows and pastures begin to fly in late May to June.
- In July and August, the pollen of herbs such as nettle, mugwort and plantain are blown by the wind.
- Around the same time, the spores of molds Alternaria and Cladosporium are also found in the air. They require very high humidity to form their spores. Properly active, therefore, they become on cool and humid late summer evenings.
To diagnose a pollen allergy, skin tests (called prick tests) are performed, in which pollen extracts are scratched on the skin. Blood tests (RAST test) complement the diagnosis.
Cross allergies with food
Unfortunately, even with allergies, misfortune rarely comes alone. Those who suffer from a pollen allergy often also react allergically to certain foods. This is known as cross-allergies. Birch pollen allergy sufferers, for example, feel tingling and swelling in the mouth and throat when they bite into a fresh apple.These pollen-associated food allergies are among the most common food allergies:
- Birch, alder, hazel: plum, apricot, cherry, peach, apple, pear, kiwi, lychee, avocado, hazelnut, almond, carrot, celery, tomato, potato, pepper, mustard, caraway, coriander.
- Grasses: cereal flours, soy, peanut, celery, potato, parsley, thyme.
- Herbs, for example, mugwort, chamomile, plantain: celery, fennel, carrots, anise, curry, cumin, coriander, parsley, dill, pepper, nutmeg and hazelnut.
- Natural latex: passion fruit, grapefruit, pineapple, bananas, Ficus benjamini.
Therapy of hay fever
Consistent treatment of pollen allergy is important, because allergic asthma can develop from hay fever. Therefore, it is important to treat one’s pollen allergy in a timely and consistent manner to prevent such a shift to the bronchial tubes in the first place. If you suspect an allergy or if severe symptoms such as hives or breathing difficulties occur, you should consult your doctor – ideally an allergist. He or she will advise you on treatment methods for hay fever, can perform an allergy test, and, if necessary, prescribe stronger-acting anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory tablets, nasal sprays, or eye drops – for example, with cortisone. Your doctor will discuss with you which treatment options are best for you. Blocked nose – what to do? Tips and home remedies
Medications that relieve the symptoms
The following medications can relieve the symptoms of hay fever:
- For prevention and treatment, use calcium tablets and nasal spray or eye drops containing, for example, cromoglicic acid or nedocromil. The latter substances are so-called mast cell stabilizers. These are to preventively cause that the body does not release histamine.
- If the nasal mucous membranes are swollen, you can use short-term decongestant nose drops.
- If the eyes are red, eye drops against conjunctivitis can help in the short term.
- For severe, acute symptoms help anti-allergic tablets, sprays or drops – so-called antihistamines such as cetirizine or loratadine.
- For prevention and treatment, there are also homeopathic-based remedies.
- Do not neglect nasal care: It is particularly important to keep the mucous membranes in the respiratory tract moist, because they represent a crucial protection against viruses and bacteria.
- In severe cases, so-called glucocorticoids such as cortisone are also used. These suppress the body’s defense response, but should only be used in low doses, as they can also impair the function of the rest of the immune system.
Causative therapy – the hyposensitization.
The only therapy that attempts to completely eliminate the allergy is hyposensitization (so-called “allergy vaccination” or specific immunotherapy). In this process, the affected person is injected with the allergen (i.e., the particular trigger of the symptoms) in slowly increasing doses over a period of usually three years in order to make him or her insensitive to the allergen. The immune system then usually reacts with a change, so that allergens that previously triggered a pathogenic defense reaction are tolerated again. In up to 90 percent of cases, this treatment is successful. An alternative to injections (subcutaneous immunotherapy) is sublingual immunotherapy, in which the allergens are taken orally every day via tablets or drops.
10 tips against hay fever
The following tips will make your life easier as a pollen allergy sufferer by avoiding triggers whenever possible:
- In “your” pollen season, reduce the stay outdoors to a minimum and avoid open spaces (in the forest fly less pollen).
- Ventilate only briefly, preferably at night or during or after the rain; if it was a real shower, wait half an hour. In the morning, the pollen density is highest.
- Keep windows closed in the house and in the car; possibly install room air filters and for the car pollen filters.
- When driving, turn off the ventilation and close the windows.
- Wash your hair daily in the evening to prevent pollen from entering your nose and eyes at night.
- Do not undress and change clothes in the bedroom; wet wipe the bedrooms frequently and vacuum regularly (preferably use a vacuum cleaner with microfilter).
- Suitable resorts are the high mountains or the sea.
- Anti-allergic nasal sprays, eye drops or tablets relieve symptoms and help you get through the hay fever season well.
- Through an adequate supply of the trace element zinc, the hay fever symptoms can be alleviated in many cases.
- Pollen calendars from the pharmacy and pollen prognosis by phone or on the Internet tell you when your pollen fly.
Also on gesundheit.de you can find out about the bio-weather daily updates on the pollen count.
Diet for hay fever
In addition, you should try to alleviate the symptoms through proper nutrition:
- Eat plenty of fresh fruit with vitamin C, which binds the itch-triggering neurotransmitter histamine.
- Bananas, sunflower seeds and flaxseed reduce the production of histamine.
- Against the inflammatory reaction helps ribwort, which you can prepare 3 times a day as a tea (pour 1 teaspoon with 200 milliliters of cold water, infuse for 30 minutes and strain).
- Anti-allergic is said to act cedar oil – mix 1 drop with a little sugar 1 time a day and let it dissolve slowly in the mouth.
- In the pharmacy you can get ready-made preparations of butterbur, which is also to mitigate allergic reactions.
For severe discomfort in the area of the nose help regular nasal irrigation with saline solution (for example, with a so-called nasal douche), which cleans the mucous membrane of pollen. You can keep the mucous membrane of the inner wall of the nose supple with olive oil. It is possible that frequent infections are an influencing factor in the development of allergies. If this assumption proves to be correct, people allergic to pollen in particular should try to avoid colds and other respiratory infections. This includes a good training of the immune system, for example through sports, regular Kneipp applications and a balanced diet.
Causes of hay fever
Even though the predisposition to hay fever is genetic and can therefore be inherited, hay fever is not congenital. It is only through repeated contact with the allergens that the immune system’s overreaction develops. By the way, having many siblings reduces the risk of children getting hay fever. According to experts, this is because things are usually less hygienic in a crowded children’s room. The constant exchange of germs and allergens trains the child’s immune system. Conversely, too much hygiene promotes the occurrence of allergies. In addition, hay fever can be promoted if babies are not breastfed or not breastfed sufficiently.
