Hay Fever

Hay Fever can be an annoying medical problem if you suffer from it. Hay Fever is also commonly called allergic rhinitis, and this is caused by an allergic response from your body to pollen and other organisms that are in the air. Pollen can not be seen, but it is present in the air most of the time. During certain seasons, organism levels can get extremely high in the air, and this can bring on severe symptoms of Hay Fever, but in some sufferers this can be an all year long condition. The severity of the symptoms will depend on how sensitive you are to the organisms in the air. If you are highly allergic, you may have symptoms all year long instead of just in the spring and fall. Pollen is not the only cause of Hay Fever, it can also be caused by mold spores, feather particles, animal hair and dander, dust mites, and other organisms and particles that can not be seen but that are present in  the air you breathe.

Hay Fever symptoms can vary from one person to the next, depending on many factors including individual sensitivities, the levels of organisms that are in the air, and the number of allergens present. It is possible for you to be allergic to many different organisms at the same time. This can be a main cause of Hay Fever that occurs all year long. When you come into contact and breathe in these organisms, your body wrongly interprets this as an enemy and produces the allergic response to try and get rid of the enemy, which in this case is harmless. It is not the organism, but your reaction to it, that makes you miserable. Symptoms of Hay Fever can include sneezing, a nose that runs or is congested, coughing, eyes that may burn, itch, and water, wheezing and difficulty breathing, and others.

Hay fever and asthma are commonly found together, and this situation should be monitored carefully by your doctor because allergens can be a trigger for an asthma attack. Allergies can be determined by allergy testing but this can get expensive if a number of substances are tested for. In an allergy test, a small amount of the possible allergen is placed under your skin. If a red bump or swelling occurs then you are allergic to that substance. There has been some research and results with exposing patients to increasing amounts of an allergen to desensitize them to the substance, but this should only be done under the care of your physician because of the risks involved.

Hay Fever affects millions of Americans each year, and can make them miserable. If you suffer from this condition, there are some things you can do to help minimize and prevent symptoms from occurring. There are over the counter medications that can really help control hay fever symptoms and make you more comfortable. Antihistamines and decongestants can be very helpful, and nasal sprays can reduce any congestion. For eyes that itch and burn, eye drops can be used to relieve these symptoms.