What is Hayfever?

Hayfever is the common name for a form of allergic rhinitis. This is where your nose becomes inflamed or irritated by an allergen, such as pollen, causing you to sneeze or have other typical allergy symptoms.

Allergic rhinitis is one of the most common allergic conditions seen in Australia, affecting around 1 in 5 of us.

There are two main types of allergic rhinitis:

  • The more common seasonal allergic rhinitis or ‘hayfever’, which is triggered by pollen with symptoms usually peaking in the spring or early summer months
  • Perennial allergic rhinitis, which is where allergy symptoms can be present all-year round and is usually triggered by allergens found in and outside the home.

Some people may also have allergies triggered by allergens they are exposed to while at work. This is called occupational allergic rhinitis and can be a common problem for certain workers such as bakers and vets.

What Causes Hayfever?

When you have an allergy, your body overreacts to something that doesn’t normally cause problems for other people, such as pollen, dust mites or animal dander (skin flakes, hair or fur).

Hayfever symptoms are triggered by pollen which is carried in the air and easily breathed in. Some people are sensitive to particular types of pollen, which is why symptoms can be worse at certain times of year (such as spring or autumn time), or after environmental exposure (e.g. bush walks), and some people may be sensitive to more than one type of pollen, which can make hayfever hard to avoid if these are present throughout the year. Environmental factors, such as the wind, can also have an impact, carrying pollen great distances, which can trigger hayfever in sufferers who live far away from the source.

Allergy symptoms that stick around all year (perennial allergic rhinitis) are usually linked to things found inside the home, such as:

  • Dust mites
  • Mould spores
  • Animal dander (e.g. pet or domestic animal fur and skin flakes)
  • Cockroach debris

Other causes of allergic rhinitis can include things such as wood dust, flour dust and latex.

Hayfever & Allergy Symptoms

Seasonal hayfever and all-year nasal allergies can cause a range of symptoms involving not only your nose, but also your eyes, throat and ears.

Common allergic rhinitis symptoms and the areas of the body affected:

  • Nose
  • Eyes
    • Itchy or watery eyes
    • Red eyes
  • Mouth and Throat
    • Excess mucus in your throat (called postnasal drip)
    • A cough or having to clear your throat more often
    • Itchy throat or roof of your mouth
  • Ears
    • Itchy ears

Some allergy symptoms overlap with other conditions such as colds and flu, such as symptoms like sneezing, runny or blocked nose, and a cough. But unlike colds and flu, when you are exposed to something you are allergic to symptoms usually appear within minutes and tend to continue if not treated.

Other problems associated with allergic rhinitis may include:

  • Poor sleep and feeling tired during the day
  • Trouble concentrating
  • Headaches
  • Sinus infections (particularly in adults)
  • Frequent ear infections in children

Hayfever & Allergy in Children

Allergic rhinitis is very common in children and often accompanies other allergic conditions such as eczema, or when a parent also has allergic rhinitis.

Children with seasonal hayfever or all-year (perennial) allergies have similar triggers (such as pollen and dust) and similar symptoms to adults, which include:

Additionally, allergies in children can cause other symptoms beyond the nose and upper airways, that do not typically occur in adults, including:

  • Headaches
  • Fatigue
  • Cough
  • Learning problems

Children need to be exposed to an allergen before they become allergic to it and allergies don’t usually develop in children under 2 years of age. Very few infants or toddlers are thought to develop hayfever symptoms before they turn 3 years old, because it is thought that the immune system needs multiple seasons of allergen exposure before allergic sensitisation can develop.

Hayfever Treatments

Although you can’t get rid of hayfever, so to speak, the good news is there are several different management and treatment methods that may help you control allergy symptoms, including:

  • Avoiding allergy triggers: Taking steps to avoid or limit your exposure to allergens in the environment, for example by checking the pollen count before going outside, washing bed sheets and drying in the tumble dryer, and keeping pets outside, and minimising the amount of dust in your home.
  • Using saline nasal washes and sprays to clear away allergens: Non-medicated saline nasal sprays or sinus washes, such as FLO Saline Plus, FLO Nasal Mist and FLO Sinus Care regularly helps provide relief from allergic rhinitis symptoms. For babies and kids, saline nasal drops and sprays – such as FLO Baby Saline Drops, FLO Baby Saline Spray, and FLO Kids Saline Spray can help provide gentle symptom relief.
  • Taking allergy medications such as antihistamines, decongestants and corticosteroids: If reducing your exposure to allergens is not possible or other treatment options are not controlling your symptoms enough, talk to your pharmacist or doctor about medications to help with your allergy.

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