Allergy Capital

allergic conjunctivitis Hay fever treatment

Hay fever can occur all year round. It is triggered by what we breathe in. Diet has only a minor influence in most people. Triggers include pollen, dust mite, animal allergy and mold spores. Options include avoiding the cause, medication and immunotherapy.

Updated 17 January 2003

 

IMPORTANT The information provided is of a general nature and should not be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you think you may suffer from an allergic or other disease that requires attention, you should discuss it with your family doctor.

What is hay fever?
Strictly speaking, "hay fever" (also known as allergic rhinitis and allergic conjunctivitis) describes the itchy eyes, nose and mouth, sneezing and runny, blocked nose that occurs during spring and summer when grass pollens are blowing around. Since similar problems can be caused by other allergens like house dust mite and animal proteins, "Hay fever" can in fact occur all year around.

There are only a few options for treating hay fever

Avoiding the cause
Identifying (by allergy testing) and avoiding your allergic triggers are essential components of allergy management. These topics are covered in other articles.

Treatment without medication
Steam and salt water sprays can soothe a blocked nose. Some people swear by the effect of Horseradish and Garlic, eucalyptus, menthol or peppermint inhalations or lollies.

Diet and hay fever
Some people find that milk, MSG or alcohol seem to make their nose a lot worse. Despite public common mythology, there is no good evidence that drinking milk makes asthma or hay fever worse or makes us produce more mucus. The temporary sensation of "thick mucus" that some people feel when they drink milk is because proteins in milk stick to proteins in saliva. Unfortunately, strict "elimination diets" are usually disappointing and not very good for children's health.

Treatment with medication
Although drugs do not cure allergies, the medicines available for treatment these days are much more effective with fewer side effects than those available 20 years ago. You just need to know the best way to use them, and to avoid medicines that can cause more problems than they solve, like decongestant ("unblocking") nose sprays. Your doctor can advise you as to the best medicines to use for treating your symptoms.

Choice of medication when pregnancy or breast-feeding
The overriding principle when using medication during pregnancy or breast feeding is that "all drugs are potentially poisons, but some are more poisonous than others". Ideally, all drugs will be avoided where possible, but some patients get miserable symptoms and need something to take. Which medicines are recommended is based on human and animal research, clinical experience and theoretical concerns. Your doctor is in the best position to give you appropriate advice if this is an issue.

Immunotherapy injections
The medicines that we use only reduce the severity of symptoms. Treatment for hay fever can be likened to weed-killer. When you stop the treatment, the symptoms may return unless the cause is removed. Another option is immunotherapy, whereby one tries to switch off the allergic reaction by repeatedly injecting small doses of allergen extracts. The injections are given over many months, and then maintained over a few years to reduce the likelihood that the allergy will return.

Complications of hay fever
Severe hay fever can also:

References