Why do I have hay fever? I didn’t have this as a child

Hay fever (or allergic rhinitis) is a long-term inflammation that is extremely common. Affects approx one quarter Australians.

The symptoms vary, but may contain sneezing, itchy eyes and a runny or stuffy nose. Hay fever can also contribute to sinus and ear infections, snoring, indigent sleep and asthma, as well as poorer performance at school or work.

However, many people did not have hay fever as children and did not develop symptoms until they were teenagers or adults.

Here’s how a combination of genetics, hormones and environment can lead to the development of hay fever later in life.

Remind me what hay fever is?

Hay fever is caused by contact of the nose, eyes and throat with a substance to which a person is allergic, known as an allergen.

Typical sources of outdoor allergens are airborne grasses, weed or tree pollen, and mold spores. Pollen allergens can be transmitted indoors on clothes and through open windows and doors.

Depending on where you live, you may be exposed to different types of pollen during pollen season, but grass pollen is the most common cause of hay fever. IN some regions The grass pollen season may last from spring to summer and autumn.

How does hay fever start?

Hay fever symptoms most often appear during adolescence or early adulthood. One study found that 7% of children aged six had hay fever, but this increased to 44% of adults by the age of 24.

Before anyone develops symptoms of hay fever, their immune system is already “sensitized” to certain allergens, often grass pollen allergens. Exposure to these allergens means that their immune system has produced a specific type of antibody against them (known as IgE).

During repeated or prolonged exposure to an allergen source such as pollen, a person’s immune system may begin to respond to a different part of the same allergen or to a different allergen contained in the pollen. Over time, these up-to-date allergic sensitivities can develop hay fever and possibly other conditions such as allergic asthma.

Why do some people develop hay fever only in adulthood?

1. Environmental factors

Some people develop hay fever in adulthood simply because they have had more time to become sensitive to certain allergens.

Migrating or moving to a up-to-date location can also change your risk of developing hay fever. This may be due to exposure to various factors pollen, climate and weathergreen space and/or air quality factors.

A series of studies show people who have emigrated from low- and middle-income countries to higher-income countries may be at greater risk of developing hay fever. This may be due to local environmental conditions affecting the expression of genes that regulate the immune system.

2. Hormonal factors

Hormonal changes during puberty it can also facilitate cause hay fever. This may involve sex hormones such as estrogen and progesterone, affecting histamine levels, immune regulation and response of cells of the nasal mucosa and lower respiratory tract.

3. Genetic factors

Our genes underpin our risk hay fever and whether this and other related allergic conditions persist.

For example, children with eczema (called atopic dermatitis) experience: three times the risk developing hay fever (and asthma) later in life.

Food allergy in childhood is also a risk factor for developing hay fever later in life. If you have a peanut allergy, the risk is greater 2.5 times bigger.

What are the best treatment options?

Depending on where you live, it can be tough to avoid exposure to allergens. But pollen count forecastsif available, they may be useful. These will facilitate you decide whether it’s best to stay home to limit your exposure to pollen or take preventive medications.

You can also find storm asthma warningswhere pollen combined with specific weather conditions cause breathing difficulties.

If you have subtle, occasional hay fever symptoms, you can take non-drowsy antihistamines, which you can buy from a pharmacy.

However, for more severe or persistent symptoms, the most effective treatment is intranasal steroid sprays or intranasal steroid sprays with an antihistamine. However, it is significant to apply them regularly and correctly.

Allergen immunotherapy, also called desensitization, is a treatment method effective treatment for people with severe hay fever symptoms, which can reduce the need to take medication and avoid allergens.

However, it involves a longer course of treatment (about three years), usually under the supervision of an allergist or immunologist.

When should people go to the doctor?

It is significant to treat hay fever because the symptoms can significantly affect: quality of human life. Your GP can:

• recommend hay fever treatment methods and facilitate you apply them correctly

• arrange blood tests to confirm whether you are allergic to the allergen (if any) and whether it is related to your symptoms

• screening for asthma, which often accompanies hay fever and may require other treatments

• if necessary, arrange for referral to an allergy or immunologist specialist for other tests, such as allergen skin tests, or consideration allergen immunotherapy if symptoms are severe.

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More information about hay fever can be found at Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy AND Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia.