What Is Hayfever?
Hayfever is the common name given to allergic reactions caused by the pollen of a number of different plants. The name comes from the fact that the season when hay is made is also the season where airborne pollen is most predominant in most regions of the world, and so is the time of year when hayfever symptoms are most often seen. There are a number of plants best known for causing hayfever, but virtually any wind-pollinating plant can cause an allergic reaction. The biggest villains in hayfever each year tend to be grasses, with a wide range of people allergic to some very common grasses. Of note are both timothy grass, or Phleum pratense, and ryegrass, or Lolium sp.. Common weed species are also responsible for some of the worst cases of hayfever each year. Particular nuisances include species like plantain, or Plantago, ragweed, or Abrosia, mugwort, or Artemisia, sorrel, or Rumex, and nettle, or Urticaceae. A number of common trees may also provoke hayfever in sensitive individuals
Since hayfever (allergic rhinitis) mainly affects the nose, it is important to understand how the nose works and what it does. Your nose is one of the unsung heroes of your body. In addition to providing your sense of smell, vital to your enjoyment of food and drink, your nose performs many other important functions: • It acts as a dust mask and first line of defence against infection, protecting the delicate structure of your airways and lungs by filtering out inhaled particles (such as dust, bacteria and pollen) which may be harmful if breathed in. • The nose begins this process with its lining of hairs, which act as a trap for the larger particles which are in the air you breathe. • Trapped particles are either expelled through sneezing or they stick to the layer of mucus, which covers the lining of the nose. • The mucus, which is secreted from special glands in the lining of the nose (there are about 100,000 of these), is moved steadily backwards towards your throat by millions of
Hayfever is an allergy, which results in irritation/inflammation of the delicate linings of • The nose (allergic rhinitis) • The eyes (allergic conjunctivitis, “hayfever eyes”). If you suffer from hayfever, you probably react to one (or more) of the following airborne allergens: • Grass pollens from rye grass, timothy grass and others • Tree pollens from oak, elm, ash, birch or hazel • Certain mould spores Hayfever is known as seasonal allergic rhinitis, because the symptoms are typically seasonal, recurring annually when the atmospheric levels of pollen or spores are highest. In some people, hayfever-like symptoms occur throughout the year in the condition of perennial allergic rhinitis. This condition results from an allergy to substances, which are continuously present such as house dust mites, animal fur, certain chemicals, medicines or foods. Hayfever and perennial allergic rhinitis are more likely to occur in conjunction with other allergic conditions, such as asthma or eczema. C
Hayfever is an allergic reaction, generally triggered by pollen. It is mostly at its most brutal between late May and June. Hayfever is more likely to occur in conjunction with other allergic conditions like asthma and eczema. Symptoms are worse in teenagers and young adults due to a higher sensitivity and this peaks between the ages of 20-30 then declines. Due to the weather, the climate in your area, air quality and how much pollen Mother Nature will spit into the air, will determine how bad a sufferer will be. The tree pollen season is from February to late May, and the worst culprit is the Birch Tree, and other members of its family.
