Not only sunny days, flowering trees and green lawns bring people spring. Unfortunately, it is the spring period, the time of active flowering of plants, that brings to many people also spring hay fever. What does this strange word mean? So doctors call an allergic reaction to plant pollen, which is manifested mainly in spring.
Why does spring allergy occur?
Almost 200 years have passed since the doctor Bostock from England officially announced a hay fever. He believed that allergic symptoms associated with hay. After 50 years, it was proved that hay is not to blame, and the symptoms of allergic pollinosis are caused by the pollen of plants. But the name got accustomed, and even in our time the term "hay fever" is still widely used.
We have already said that pollen is the cause of seasonal ailment. This is because nature has conceived a complex mechanism of plant reproduction. It is the pollen seed that carries all the genetic information about the plant during pollination. Spring is the time of total pollination of plants, pollen flies everywhere, invisible spores penetrate the human respiratory tract. And it is then that human immunity begins to stimulate the production of antibodies, which causes the first symptoms of allergy.
When is it time to take medicines from pollinosis?
Symptoms of spring allergies are similar to those that occur when you are in contact with another allergen. But due to seasonality it can be established that the following complaints appear precisely because of the ubiquitous pollen:
- Conjunctivitis , or inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eye, is characterized by swelling and redness, dryness, itching, and sometimes pain in the eyes.
- Runny nose or nasal congestion.
- Sore throat, which is not accompanied by pain.
- Dry cough.
- Itching in the ears and nose.
- Skin manifestations are rare, but worth mentioning about them: urticaria, itching, dryness, skin flaking.
Symptoms can occur either singly or in any combination and intensity. Usually they intensify in dry, hot weather, in the morning and on the street. But in the premises, during the rain and in the evenings weaken significantly. But even with weak, rare manifestations of the disease it is worth considering seriously how to cure the hay fever, because it is fraught with not only unpleasant sensations, but also various complications.
Often, an allergy to the spring sun with time begins to be accompanied by bouts of bronchial asthma. Frequently, various viral diseases, in which infections are easier to penetrate into the body due to weakened immunity.
Methods of treatment and prevention of spring allergies
How to treat pollinosis, if there is no way to escape from the pollen, we will now discuss. After all, not everyone has the opportunity to leave for a long time in a country with a different climate. And at home you will not close for several weeks.
To begin with, it is necessary to have a proven antihistamine at hand. The main thing about what you should remember - just do not do self-medication, but seek help from a doctor who will pick up and advise such a drug that will not cause excessive sleepiness and will act quickly enough. Without these drugs, reducing symptoms will have to wait for a long time, which will significantly worsen the quality of life.
Simple methods of preventing pollinosis will also help. Regular wet cleaning, screens on the windows, humidification of the air in the apartment will lower the risk of penetration of the allergen into the living room. On the street, it is recommended to wear sunglasses, and even walk in the evenings. After a walk, a change of clothes and thorough washing will become mandatory.