What is hay fever?

Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen, dust mite, moulds and animal dander.

What causes hay fever?

Hay fever occurs when grass pollen (95%) and other environmental allergens such as tree pollen, dust mite, moulds and animal dander, comes in contact with your mouth, nose, eyes and throat. Pollen contains a protein that causes hay fever.

What are the symptoms of hay fever?

The symptoms of hay fever include the swelling, irritability and inflammation of nose, eyes, throat and sinuses. You can feel quite unwell due to hay fever. Hay fever is most common during the spring, when airborne grass pollens are at its highest.

How is hay fever diagnosed?

Hay fever is diagnosed by the presenting symptoms including the swelling, irritability and inflammation of nose, eyes, throat and sinuses. It can also present with loss of smell, pain around your temples and forehead, earache and feeling of tiredness. We can also diagnose it by skin prick test and allergy blood test.

Allergy testing is carried out by an allergy specialist. Skin prick test involves a small dose of the allergen is pricked into patches of skin on your arm or upper back. The pricked area is then observed for 15 to 20 minutes. Allergic reaction is characterised by development of raised bump (hive) at the site of that allergen. Allergy blood test involves measuring of IgE antibodies level in your blood.

How common is hay fever?

Hay fever is a common allergic condition and affects up to 1 in 4 people at some point in their life and affects approximately 16 million people in UK.

How is hay fever treated?

Hay fever cannot be treated permanently nut following measures help with the temporary relief:

• Avoid contact with pollen
• Nasal sprays containing steroids may help
• Taking hay fever tablets may also help
• A course of steroid tablets for not more than 10 days.
• Immunotherapy that involves giving small doses of pollen as a tablet or by injection 3 months prior to the hay fever season. This helps to build immunity against the hay fever.
• Hay fever jab in severe cases of hay fever.

What is a hay fever jab?

Hay fever jab is an injection of steroid Kenalog (Triamcinolone acetonide) used for treatment of severe hay fever. This treatment is licenced in UK but only available in private clinics. Hay fever jab is injected into the buttock muscle. Following the injection, the steroid is slowly absorbed by the blood over the next 3 weeks.

How effective is hay fever jab and how long does it last for?

Hay fever is quite effective and the duration of effect is variable between different individuals. The minimum it is expected to last is 3 weeks but can last for the entire season. At our clinic we recommend one or two injections per season depending on the severity.

What are the possible complications?

Possible complications of hay fever jab include itching, swelling, abdominal pain, raised blood pressure, raised blood sugar and problems with breathing.

In which conditions is hay fever jab not suitable?

Conditions in which hay fever jab should be avoided/used with caution include diabetes, hypertension, active infections, osteoporosis, psychosis and epilepsy as it can make such conditions worse. Your clinician will ensure that it is safe
for you to have it.