Hay Fever - Causes, Symptoms, Treatments & Natural Remedies

Seasonal allergies and the common cold are major health concerns in recent times. Hay fever, for instance, causes flu-like signs and symptoms among the infected individuals. It is mainly an allergic response to outdoor or indoor allergens. Apart from making you tired, such an allergy can hamper your work performance and mental health.

Do you suffer from cold symptoms frequently and fear that it might turn out to be hay fever? Then, find out all about this allergy and how to treat it!

What Is Hay Fever?

Hay fever, also termed allergic rhinitis, is a common allergy that comes in cold-like symptoms. It is a common form of seasonal allergy resulting from pet dander. As it is a seasonal allergy, you are more prone to experiencing it between March and September, when the weather is warm and humid. This is because the pollen count remains at its highest during this period.

Some of the following complications can occur because of this allergy.

Sleep issues: Hay fever might make it difficult for you to fall asleep, leading to fatigue and feeling tired all day.
Poor quality of life: You might become less productive because of this allergy. It can lead to your withdrawal from schools, work and other enjoyable activities.
Asthma and sinus issues: If you have asthma, hay fever can worsen your condition with increased coughing and sneezing. Moreover, it can cause an inflammation of the membrane lining the sinuses, causing prolonged sinusitis throughout the year.
Ear infection: Children suffering from this allergy are prone to getting otitis media, an ear infection.

Who Is at Risk of Hay Fever?

Hay fever is a common allergic condition that can affect anyone. It affects nearly 10 million people annually. However, if you are already suffering from the following problems, you are more likely to get this infection.

Asthma, eczema, or other allergies
Family members having allergies or asthma
If the working or living conditions are exposed to allergens
If your parents smoked before your first birthday

Hay fever issues start showing in childhood or during teenage years. However, it is more common in boys than in girls.

What Are the Types of Hay Fever?

Now that you understand the basic meaning of hay fever, you must be wondering about the various types of this allergy. The following types of this allergy can affect you.

Seasonal allergy: This is the most common type. The air contains the maximum amount of pollen between March and September, and it is during this period you are most likely to get hay fever.
Perennial allergy: In this type of hay fever, patients suffer from cold-like symptoms due to hay fever allergy throughout the year.

What Are the Causes of Hay Fever?

If you are wondering what causes hay fever, it mainly comes from tiny particles called allergens in the air. If you breathe such air containing allergens through your nose or mouth, your body releases a natural chemical called histamine. Various indoor and outdoor allergens can cause this allergy. For example, any form of pollen, dust mites or tiny flecks of skin and saliva from cats, dogs, and other animals with fur or feathers can cause hay fever.

Thus, it is safe to say that hay fever is caused by airborne substances. However, there can be other trigger points in the case of seasonal allergies. These include the following.

Tree and grass pollens (commonly found in spring and summer)
Ragweed pollen (widely seen in the fall)
Dust mites and cockroach dander (more likely in winter when houses are closed up)
Spores from outdoor and indoor fungi and moulds

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Hay Fever?

Symptoms of hay fever are similar to cold symptoms. If you face the following symptoms, you should check if you suffer from this allergy.

Stuffy or runny nose
Sneezing and coughing
Itchy and watery eyes
Itching in throat, mouth or ears
Dark circles under the eyes
Fatigue and dizziness
Postnasal drip
Headaches and sweating

While these symptoms of hay fever allergy might sound similar to the common cold, you should visit the physician if it is happening between March and September.

How to Diagnose Hay Fever?

When you visit a healthcare centre for hay fever diagnosis, doctors are most likely to observe your symptoms and ask you questions about your personal and family medical history. They can also run a blood or skin test to identify the substances you are allergic to.

Skin test: This is the more common type of test. The doctors will prick your skin with a small amount of a known allergen. They will then check the reaction of your skin after about 20 minutes.
Blood test: On the other hand, the blood test aims to check the reaction of your immune system against antibodies directly. It will show the level of IgE antibodies after 20 minutes, which will be high if you have hay fever.

What Are the Treatments for Hay Fever?

Now, you might be wondering about the procedure for treating hay fever. For this, you might take help from the following measures.

Medication: It is the standard measure for dealing with symptoms and treatment for hay fever. When you visit a healthcare centre for treatment, they are most likely to prescribe various medicines. Pills and nasal drops from Antihistamines are most commonly used in this case. Moreover, you can also get other drugs such as Decongestants, Cromolyn sodium, Leukotriene modifier or nasal ipratropium. Corticosteroid nasal sprays can relieve you from a stuffy and runny nose throughout the year.
Immunotherapy: For this type of treatment, you need to determine if your allergic reaction from hay fever is due to a particular environmental factor. For this, doctors are most likely to do a skin prick test by injecting small doses of allergens. If your skin reacts, it means you are allergic to that substance. Using this therapy will make your body less reactive to these substances. It is used particularly while treating allergies against grass and ragweed pollen. Your doctor will constantly inject small doses of this substance, one at a time, for over 2-5 years.
Saline Rinses: The use of such rinses can be helpful for nasal congestion and wash allergens while removing the extra mucus out of your nose. Although, as you already know, hay fever might come with stuffy and runny nose issues, this can be an effective remedy. For this, you can use a premixed solution in a squeeze bottle, filling it with distilled or boiled water. Make sure to use sterilised water for rinsing the bottle after every use and air-dry them to avoid hygiene problems.
Herbal Remedies: According to past research and case studies, a shrub called butterbur can treat symptoms of hay fever. If you select this type of treatment, make sure to choose a product labelled PA-free, as the raw plant can be toxic. Apart from this, other herbal remedies include honey, capsicum, fish oil, and vitamin C.

How to Prevent Hay Fever?

There are hardly any prescribed measures for the prevention of hay fever. However, you can make significant changes in your lifestyle to avoid this allergy. The following measures can help you in this regard.

Keep the windows of your home and car closed during summer, spring and early fall to avoid pollen.
Enclose your dust mite covers with pillows, mattresses and box springs.
Avoid unnecessarily touching your face and rubbing your eyes or nose without washing your hands.
If you have pets, make sure they are away from your couches and beds.
Wash your hands more often after touching the pets.
Use air purifier filters in your vacuum cleaner and air conditioner to avoid allergens in your surroundings.
When going out, try to use sunglasses to protect your eyes from pollen.

Hay fever can be a severe health concern from pet dander, pollen and dust mites. While its symptoms might seem similar to the common cold, its consequences are more powerful and can affect the individuals' physical and mental health. Thus, treating it urgently is essential to avoid its long term adverse effects.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Is hay fever infectious?

While symptoms of hay fever are similar to the common cold and infectious diseases, these are not as contagious as infections are.

Is hay fever worse at night?

There is no sound scientific evidence behind this idea, but case studies over the years have shown that hay fever symptoms can worsen at night. Triggers from dust mites and mould spores in curtains, carpets, bedding and mattresses can cause this.