Middle aged and never suffered from hay fever? Why that could change

Many of us presume that because we have reached maybe our 30’s, 40’s or 50’s and have never suffered from hay fever that we can safely assume that we will never suffer from it.

However a growing number of middle aged people who have never suffered before from an allergic reaction to pollen before, are discovering for the first time this year the misery of a constantly runny nose, itchy streaming eyes and a prickly throat that just won’t clear.

“Each year my colleagues and I see more and more middle aged men and older patients coming to our clinics for the very first time”, says Dr Suraniith Seneviratne, a consultant in clinical immunology and allergy at The Royal Free Hospital in London.

Dr Seneviratne went on to add: “The idea that allergies affect only young people is I’m afraid, a bit of a myth.” Around 26 per cent of the adult population (12million people) suffer from allergic rhinitis, a term which covers all kinds of reactions to allergens, including hay fever. However al least a third of those (more than four million) are between the ages of 45 to 65 according to research company Datamonitor Healthcare, and according to experts that is set to rise.

There are three main factors that are claimed to be behind this, with the first being our washed out summer that experts claim has created a perfect storm for hay fever.

According to Patrick Suchon health business manager at the Meteorological Office: “Grass pollen, which is thought to cause 90 per cent of all hay fever, has had a bumper season. The heavy rain has created a particularly lush crop of grasses this year and while the rain dampens down the pollen count, when it stops and the sun comes out as it did last week; the pollen count goes very high, very quickly, as the plants make the most of the sunshine. Another issue is that because of the wet damp weather, mould spores which come from fungi such as mushrooms and decaying vegetation, which usually don’t appear until very late summer and early autumn, are being released early.”

The second factor claimed to be behind developing hay fever late in life is the fact that our immune system can start to show signs of wear and tear as we get older. As we get older our immune system can start to become compromised by illness, long term stress or simply through ageing.

Lindsey McManus, deputy chief executive of the charity Allergy UK says: “A weak immune system doesn’t mean you will get hay fever, but it could mean that you are more susceptible to it. We hear from people for whom hay fever becomes a problem after a severe illness or a run of nasty viruses or bugs.”

According to Professor Roy Kennedy of the National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit, the third reason causing people to develop hay fever later on in life is the introduction of new allergens.
Professor Kennedy explains: “There are a lot of new species of plant being introduced in the UK. For example ragweed, which came from America and is now spreading throughout Europe, is a highly allergic plant producing very high rates of pollen. Added to this ragweed produces more pollen in wet years.”

There are a number of medicines available to treat hay fever including Loratadine, a non-drowsy antihistamine which can provide relief from the symptoms of hay fever, Nasonex nasal spray which is a nasal corticosteroid spray for the relief of congestion, sneezing, itching and a runny nose. Prevalin is another nasal spray that lines the inside of your nose and actually deactivates the pollen, and finally there’s Alomide allergy eye drops that can bring relief from red, itchy, watery and puffy eyes if used regularly.

Medical Specialists is an online pharmacy established since 1994 that can provide prescription hay fever medication such as Nasonex, following a simple online consultation with one of our in house Doctors. Our resident Pharmacists will then dispense and post out your medications for next day delivery.

Following the recent expansion of our chemist shop, we now offer the previously mentioned products; Prevalin allergy nasal spray, Prevalin allergy kids nasal spray and Alomide allergy eye drops, which can all help to ease the symptoms of hay fever.

Hay fever sufferers are warned that pollen levels will continue to rise well into August

It seems the millions of hay fever sufferers in the UK cannot catch a break. Last month warnings were given that weather conditions could trigger attacks, and now further subsequent fluctuating weather is set to drag on the pollen season for another month according to weather experts.  At Medical Specialists Pharmacy we have already witnessed a recent surge in sales of products such as Nasonex, Prevalin and Loratadine, as sufferers rush for help in combating the irritating and troublesome symptoms that include red and itchy eyes, sneezing and a runny nose.

Since the beginning of spring we have seen rather odd fluctuations in weather. Back in March the country had a few weeks of blazing sunshine which resulted in the triggering of symptoms for the 16 million sufferers in the UK. Therefore, one could assume that the recent heavy rain fall would mean peace and quiet for those who have hay fever. Unfortunately though, this is not the case it seems. High levels of rainfall have resulted in flowers and grasses flourishing, resulting in extra pollen being generated. In fact June has been so rain-filled that provisional data indicates this has been the wettest June since records began in 1910, and the coldest in 21 years.

During the rare few days when the temperature has been quite high, pollen has proceeded to rise in the air and then circulated about after the wind picks up. NHS Direct say they have received 20% more enquiries from hay fever sufferers since the beginning of June and unfortunately weather experts have warned sufferers that although grass pollen (the most common allergy) usually peaks in July, this year it could last well into August.  In addition, The Health Protection Agency has noted that more and more people are complaining about eye problems in relation to allergies, and that this seems to be more prevalent in children. One particularly product that has been shown to help relieve these symptoms is Alomide Allergy Eye Drops, which due to high levels of interest, Medical Specialists Pharmacy have recently added to its huge range of products.

Beverley Adams-Groom is the chief palynologist at the National Pollen Research Unit at the University of Worcester and she has spoken out on the bizarre weather that has swept the country, “We are getting a lot of intermittent rainy days that are sending the pollen counts up and down at the moment. We can expect this very changeable weather to extend the pollen season. We can see a continued risk for a long time yet, probably into the beginning of August.”

The Met Office provides daily updates in regards to pollen forecasts, and health business manager Philip Sachon further explained the problems for hay fever sufferers and gave advice, saying, “All the rain we have had can help to suppress the pollen count in the short term by washing it out of the air but it does mean everything gets growing really well. On the warmer dry days it will mean the pollen counts will get quite high. We are going to continue seeing high and possibly very high pollen counts on any nice sunny days. If we continue to get good growth in weeds as well, there will be a lot of high pollen from them too. The coast is a good place to go for some respite as the wind comes off the sea and tends to carry less pollen. So on days when the pollen count is high, it is a good day to head to the beach.”