Hay fever is an allergy that occurs most frequently during the spring, summer, and fall. Grasses, trees, and weeds produce pollen during those seasons, and hay fever sufferers are allergic to pollen. About 6 per cent of the people in the United States have hay fever. Like most allergies, hay fever runs in families. A person can develop the allergy at any age. The medical name for hay fever is pollinosis. See Allergy.
Symptoms
of hay fever include runny, red, and itching eyes and a runny, stopped-up nose. The nose may also itch and swell. Hay fever victims have repeated periods of sneezing and may temporarily lose their sense of smell. A victim’s ears may be stopped up as well.
About a third of those who suffer from hay fever develop seasonal asthma. Hay fever also may result in sinusitis, a sinus infection. In addition, it may cause the development of infection or of growths called polyps in the mucous membrane. See Asthma; Sinus.
Causes and prevention.
The most common cause of hay fever in the United States is the pollen of the ragweed plant. In most areas, ragweed produces pollen in the late summer or fall. See Ragweed.
The pollen of other plants also causes hay fever. For example, Russian thistle is a major cause of hay fever in New Mexico and Utah. Airborne fungi and molds can also cause the allergy in some people or even increase the seriousness of its symptoms.
Hay fever can be prevented or made less severe by avoiding the offending pollens. Some communities have tried to eliminate ragweed. But wind carries pollen considerable distances, and elimination programs have not generally been successful.
Many newspapers and radio and television stations in the United States announce the daily local pollen index during the summer months. This figure is based on the number of ragweed pollen grains in 1 cubic yard (0.8 cubic meter) of air. The Midwestern States have the greatest concentration of pollen in the country. Areas with little ragweed pollen include the Pacific Coast and the southern tip of Florida.
Treatment.
Hay fever has the same symptoms as a year-round condition called perennial allergic rhinitis. A physician performs tests to identify the causes of a patient’s allergy. If the person has hay fever, the doctor performs tests to discover which pollen, fungus, or mold caused it. Most people with allergic rhinitis are sensitive to any kind of dust—especially house dust—and to some foods and even to animal dander.
Most doctors prescribe drugs called antihistamines, which provide quick relief for some sufferers. These drugs should be taken only under a doctor’s supervision because they cause dangerous side effects in some people. Other drugs lessen the swelling of the membranes lining the nose and reduce the running of the nose.
If a patient is extremely sensitive to pollen, the doctor may prescribe hyposensitization. This treatment involves injecting pollen extract into the patient’s body at regular intervals, slowly increasing the strength of the concentration of the extract. The injections cause the body to form antibodies to help fight the allergic reaction. In most cases, this therapy helps provide relief from hay fever symptoms.
