Hay fever is a common allergic condition. It affects up to 1 in 5 people at some point in their life.
You’ll experience hay fever symptoms if you have an allergic reaction to pollen.
Pollen is a fine powder released by plants as part of their reproductive cycle. It contains proteins that can cause the nose, eyes, throat and sinuses to become swollen, irritated and inflamed.
You can have an allergy to:
Many people find their symptoms improve as they get older.
Complete our self-help guide to check your symptoms and find out what to do next.
The symptoms of hay fever include:
Less commonly, you may also experience:
If you have asthma, your asthma symptoms may get worse when you have hay fever.
There’s currently no cure for hay fever. But most people can relieve symptoms with treatment, at least to a certain extent.
The most effective way to control hay fever would be to avoid exposure to pollen. However, it’s very difficult to avoid pollen, particularly during the summer months.
Treatment options for hay fever include:
If you have hay fever, you can get advice and treatment from a pharmacist.
Hay fever can often be controlled using over-the-counter medication from your pharmacist.
For severe and persistent hay fever, there’s also a type of treatment called immunotherapy. It involves being exposed to small amounts of pollen over time. This builds resistance to pollen’s allergic effects. But it can take many months or even years to work.
You can get hay fever at any age. But it usually begins in childhood or during the teenage years. It’s more common in boys than girls. In adults, men and women are equally affected
You’re more likely to develop hay fever if you have a family history of allergies, particularly asthma or eczema.
It’s sometimes possible to prevent the symptoms of hay fever by taking some basic precautions.
Hay fever doesn’t pose a serious threat to health. But it can have a negative impact on your quality of life. Very severe hay fever may disrupt your productivity at school or work.
Inflammation of the sinuses (sinusitis) is another common complication of hay fever. Children may also develop a middle ear infection (otitis media) as a result of hay fever.
Last updated:
05 May 2023