Allergic rhinitis that occurs strictly at a certain time (seasonally) due to the onset of pollination of plants is called pollen, although it is better known as hay fever. The study of this disease began as early as the 19th century, at this time it became widespread due to a lack of medical knowledge about the nature of allergies.
Pollinosis or hay fever?
About 15% of the world's population is affected in the modern world of the disease under consideration. This is a considerable indicator, given the progress in medicine and the annual measures to reduce the number of plants with histamines.
The mucous membrane, which lining the nasal cavity, when it gets on small particles of pollen (no more than 0.04 mm), begins to become inflamed. Further spread of the allergen to the bronchi leads to an increase in the body's immunity reaction and the appearance of pronounced signs of pollen.
Hay fever - symptoms and treatment
Manifestations of the disease develop rapidly and at about the same time of the year. In addition, allergic rhinitis is always accompanied by reactions from the skin, lower respiratory tract and nervous system.
Symptoms of hay fever:
- sensation of nasal congestion;
- trouble breathing, shortness of breath, or choking;
- itching in the nose;
- prolonged bouts of sneezing;
- abundant discharge from the nose with a watery consistency;
- headache;
- redness of the eyes;
- tear;
- itching in the tongue, in the palatine area;
- cough, usually dry;
- breathing with wheezing;
- sore throat;
- fatigue, lethargy;
- irritability;
- insomnia;
- nausea;
- vomiting;
- pains in the joints, similar to rheumatism;
- skin rashes in the form of dermatitis, dermatosis, urticaria, or eczema.
Before you start treating hay fever, you need to establish an accurate diagnosis. The most informative for today are the scribing tests. For greater reliability of the analysis it is desirable to carry out without taking antihistamines. The study consists of damage to the skin by a few shallow scratches on the forearm and applying allergen to the wound. The presence of pollinosis will manifest itself as the formation of blisters around the scratch and noticeable redness. It should be noted that scarification tests are performed strictly under the supervision of a physician in order to avoid the development of anaphylactic reactions.
Another method of diagnosis is a laboratory blood test with the determination of the amount of specific antibodies to the allergen.
The only effective way to eliminate the symptoms of pollinosis is treatment with antihistamines. Unfortunately, this will not relieve the disease forever, but will only help alleviate the condition of a person until the season of flowering and pollination of plants stops and the allergy does not disappear on its own.
Hay fever - alternative treatment and prevention
One of the promising directions in the treatment of the described disease is immunotherapy with allergens. Specificity
Prevention of hay fever involves the exclusion of all possible contacts with the allergen, as well as taking medications prescribed by the treating specialist.