Misery expected for hay fever sufferers

Those who suffer from hay fever are set for a miserable week, with pollen levels ready to sharply rise due to the unexpected warm weather that has suddenly hit the UK after a massive rain-filled previous month. Grass pollen in particularly will be most prevalent at the moment, and this will effect roughly 95% of the people who unfortunately suffer from hay fever. The Met Office has created a ‘pollen calendar’ on their website, which lists the different types of pollen and when they are at their peak. According to this calendar, grass pollen peaks in June and July, lasting from May until September.

Charlie Powell, Met Office spokesman, commented on the ever-changing weather situation,  “The recent unsettled weather has kept pollen levels to a low count but the drier conditions will push them up into higher levels. With grass pollen at the moment being at its peak, we could see some high pollen counts.”

The current problems for those who have hay fever mirrors the situation that occurred in March this year, where Medical Specialists Pharmacy reported in detail just how the several unexpected weeks of soaring temperatures caused havoc for the approximate 16 million people in the UK who suffer from hay fever, and also analysed the links between hay fever and asthma.
Today has been predicted to see the warmest conditions so far in June, with temperatures expected to peak to as high as 23C (73F) in London. Moreover, experts say that pollen levels could be at an incredibly high level on Wednesday and Thursday, where pollen levels are estimated to be particularly high in the East and West Midlands. Sales of over the counter medication such as Loratadine are expected to sky rocket in the coming days, as millions try to keep their symptoms under control.

Patrick Sachon, health manager at the Met Office, further added to Powell’s comments,  ”Following the rain we saw in April and the rain over the last few weeks, grass has grown well, more than last year, when it was much drier. This is therefore expected to cause higher levels of grass pollen than last year. The Met Office forecast for the next couple of days is for the UK to be drier and a little more settled that of late in most areas. Occasional showers are likely but with plenty of bright or sunny spells and temperatures in the high teens or low twenties in some parts. This will lead to much higher pollen counts than in recent weeks. This means that those who suffer from hay fever will need to keep an eye on the pollen count over the next few days.”

In May Medical Specialists Pharmacy managing director David Bailey spoke out about the range of options available to treat the condition and how the company had expanded its product range since the March heat wave, saying, “Since then we have expanded our rapidly growing range of medications, and now offer Prevalin allergy nasal spray, Prevalin allergy kids nasal spray and Alomide allergy eye drops. All three can help with the symptoms of hay fever, along with our highly requested Ventolin Evohaler, which we sell cheaper than the NHS. With over 10million sufferers in the UK alone, we are determined to help our patients manage their hay fever and live a stress and pain-free life”.