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Hay Fever
By Jane Keightley
Many thousands of people suffer from Hay Fever in varying degrees. Some people just have a runny nose and itchy eyes, but for a minority of the populations the symptoms can be severe and make their life a misery. Hay Fever, or seasonal allergic rhinitis to give it the official title, is an allergic disorder usually caused by certain types of pollen. An allergy is an excessive reaction of the body’s immune system to an allergen – in this case pollen is the allergen. In hay fever sufferers the person’s immune system mistakes the allergen for a foreign substance in the body and reacts to it by producing antibodies. These antibodies attach themselves to white blood cells called mast cells. When the body is exposed to the allergen again it binds to the antibodies it has previously made and the process causes the mast cells to release chemicals into the blood. Amongst these chemicals are histamine and prostaglandins. The symptoms of hay fever are caused by the excessive amounts of histamine which are present in the blood. There are various receptors in the body which work with the histamine, in the case of hay fever it is the H1 receptors which are found in the skin, nose, airways and blood vessels which react with the histamine to cause the symptoms we experience such as itchy eyes, runny nose and itchy red skin associated with hay fever. It is important that the suffers tries to distinguish which type of pollen causes their hay fever, as this will help them to avoid the allergen and also start taking the relevant medication prior to the season. Hay fever can be treated with several different drugs including antihistamines, corticosteroids, cromoglicate and decongestants. These drugs can be administered in a variety of different forms from tablets, nasal sprays, drops and creams. Antihistamines and probably the most common course of treatment for hay fever, they work by blocking the H1 receptors in the body to inhibit the adverse effects of histamine. Antihistamines can be divided in to either sedative antihistamines or non-sedative antihistamines, The older style antihistamines such as chlorphenamine (found in brands such as Piriton) or promethazine cause drowsiness and also act as antimuscarinics, helping to dry up the secretion of mucus. However they can cause some side effects such as dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation and difficulty in passing urine. The more modern antihistamines and non drowsy, these are drugs such as cetirizine (Zirteck brand) loratadine (Clarityn brand) and acrivastine (Benadryl brand). Most of these drugs only need to be taken once a day and have few side effects. Corticosteroids are often used to treat hay fever, but in the form of nasal sprays. Cotricsteroids block the release of chemicals involved in the allergic response and can reduce inflammation of the airways. Corticsteroids are used for preventative treatment rather than as a relieving treatment, as they take a number of days to work, therefore they are best used throughout the hay fever seasons, with the treatment starting approximately 2 -3 weeks prior to the season.
Cromoglicate is available as nasal sprays or drops and as eye drops (Opticrom brand). It works in a similar way to the cortisteroids by inhibiting the release of the chemicals involved in the allergic reaction and like the steroids it is best used throughout the season; however the reaction is quite fast, particularly with the eye drops which work very quickly. Often, decongestants are used in conjunction with antihistamines, such as pseudoephedrine in tablet form or xylometazoline in nasal sprays and drops, however it is worth noting that people taking medications for blood pressure, heart conditions and certain other tablets should avoid decongestants due to drug interactions. Nasal sprays should be used for a maximum of seven days as any longer than this causes rebound congestion which will exacerbate the problem.
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I am suffering NOW. I will take the Benadryl, and thanks for the warning, I have high blood pressure.
Great Tip on getting ready for spring. A tough time of year for many of us.
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This intel was contributed by Jimbob
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May, 2012
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