What Causes Hay Fever?
Hay fever is caused by an allergic reaction to the allergen pollen. When pollen particles are breathed in the body’s immune system overreacts, as it believes it to be a harmful substance. The body then produces an antibody, immunoglobulin E (IgE) to fight it off. The IgE antibody stimulates the release of certain chemicals, in particular histamine, to flush the pollen out of the airways. It is this process, which causes the many symptoms associated with hay fever. Pollen Pollen is a grain used to transport the male DNA to the female part of the flower. There are many different types of pollen but in most cases of hay fever the most common allergen in the U.K. is grass pollen. Other common allergens include tree pollens, such as alder, birch, willow and hazel, and from weeds, such as mugwort and docks. A person suffering from hay fever may be allergic to several of these allergens or just to one. People tend to suffer more when outdoors, particularly on hot windy days, when the levels o
Most plants produce pollen, which is carried by insects or the air to other plants to pollinate them and produce seeds. Many people are allergic to the pollen of certain plants, and the sickness they suffer from this pollen is called hay fever. Most hay fever is caused by the pollen from ragweed and goldenrod. When pollen from t
