Hay fever in the UK
Flowers in spring are a really pretty sight. Not if you are suffering from pollen allergies in Europe or the UK though. The spring fever that you have been looking forward to will soon vanish with those telltale symptoms of itchy eyes and sneezing.
Hay fever happens due to the pollen that different plants produce. Common sources of pollen would include:
· Flowers
· Weeds
· Grass
· Trees
If you are allergic to any of these, you are bound to be affected by hay fever.
While there are many ways you can treat this disease, the best thing to do would be to use nose sprays or medicine. The latter would include anti histamine tablets. For really severe cases of hay fever, a course in steroids is recommended. Another way of treating really severe cases of hay fever would be through immunotherapy. In this case, your immune system will be “desensitised” by injecting the allergens in your system.
Different places in the UK are affected during spring or “hay fever” season. In London, hay fever can attack from anytime in early spring to late summer. In early spring, 90% of the pollen comes from trees like silver birch, London plane, and oak and so on. The summer time hay fever can arise from some of the grasses which start pollinating with a vengeance. Around the middle of May, grasses like rye, meadow and fescue start releasing pollen. The situation is similar in Birmingham. The hay fever starts with the birch pollen and goes on to follow with the oak pollen phase. This is a known phenomenon in the southern cities.
Due to differences in region and season, hay fever can strike at different times. In Edinburgh for example, the pollen release happens around two weeks after it does in London. This is because the plants flower later in Edinburgh. In Liverpool, hay fever makes an early appearance. By mid April, tree pollen from ash and pine are floating in the air. May onwards, it is all about grass pollen. The season of sneezing can go on as late as August. The grass pollen season comes as late as July to Manchester.
Various studies have been conducted on patients of hay fever. In one such test conducted in Glasgow, 6.3 % of the individuals tested positive for hay fever. In comparison to all the other allergic diseases, hay fever showed the highest positive result in the individuals.
The statistics of hay fever patients is disturbing, to say the least. Around 12 million people in the country fall prey to hay fever every year. Out of these, 95% of the people suffer from grass pollen allergies. A quarter falls to tree pollen as well.
Prevention is the best way to cure. For those allergic to pollen, try and stay indoors as much as possible. Keep your car windows up at all times and try and avoid those lush green meadows, as tempting as they might seem. If you are seeking relief without medication, try some herbal remedies for hay fever or some alternate allergy treatments or some natural remedies. Also, see Hay Fever Tips
Hay Fever symptoms are usually triggered by a change in the season and a number of other associated factors such as pollen, grass, dust and pets.
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