Beautiful buds and blossom are just starting to emerge as our trees awaken from their winter hibernation. But for some children these wonderful sights and smells can trigger the start of irritating seasonal sneezing, watery eyes, headaches and other allergic reactions known as allergic rhinitis (hay fever).
As most sufferers know, isn’t only summer when the sun is shining that causes hay fever and rising global temperatures are helping to lengthen the period of time when pollen is released from trees, with some even releasing pollen as early as January. Hazel, Alder, Willow, Elm and Birch are at their peak of releasing pollen in March and April, so be sure you know what to look out for this springtime.
Hay fever is a type of allergy that occurs when your body reacts to pollen from trees or shrubs as though it was a harmful organism. To fight this supposed harmful organism, a hay fever sufferer’s immune system will start producing antibodies to try to prevent it spreading.
The histamine produced by the body leads to children developing typical hay fever symptoms such as:
Other symptoms can also include:
- Sneezing
- Nasal congestion
- Watery, runny nose
- An itchy nose
- Watery eyes
- Earache
- Headache
- A reduced sense of smell
- Itchy eyes
- Disrupted sleep, tiredness and irritability
Keep a diary of where your child has been and if they’ve had symptoms afterwards. If you also keep an eye on the pollen count (there are apps available for this), you can build up a picture of whether your child’s symptoms increase on days where the pollen count was high. This will help your GP to work out whether or not your child has hay fever. Alternatively, your GP may refer them for a skin prick test and/or blood test to confirm if they’re allergic to pollen and to identify which particular pollens are the cause.
How to avoid the allergen:
Stock up on allergy medications/treatments – a pharmacist is a good source of knowledge on the wide range of treatments and medication available for children of all ages and choices available to treat specific hay fever symptoms.
Antihistamines that are non-drowsy are often used as a starting point for treating hay fever symptoms. Sometimes these alone will not be effective and additional treatments (for example nasal sprays, saline nasal washes and eye drops) may be required.
Pollen can also be a trigger for those with asthma – 80% of people with asthma will also have hay fever. Managing hay fever symptoms can help prevent exacerbations of asthma. Find out how to help your asthmatic child cope with seasonal variations and prepare for rises in allergens by reading our last blog.
For further information please click here to see a factsheet on hay fever, or you can call the Allergy UK Helpline on 01322 619 898 or email info@allergyuk.org.
