POLLEN ALLERGY

Pollen from grasses, weeds or trees can trigger symptoms of allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and asthma. Pollen seasons can last for several months and exposure is difficult to avoid. However, there are simple ways to prevent or reduce symptoms.

What is pollen?
The word pollen is derived from the Greek word meaning 'fine flour'. The role of the pollen grain is to fertilize the female flower to reproduce plant species.

• Some plants (such as flowering plants, including wattle) produce small amounts of pollen which are distributed by birds and bees from one plant to another.
• Other plants (such as pasture grasses and weeds) rely on the wind to disperse their pollen. These pollen are produced in vast quantities, blow long distances and cause allergies in people, even if they live a long way from the source.

The correct name for hay fever is seasonal allergic rhinitis. Allergic rhinitis symptoms are caused by the body's immune response to inhaled pollen, resulting in chronic inflammation of the eyes and nasal passages. Symptoms include runny nose, itching, nasal congestion, irritable and watery red eyes, and itchy ears, throat and palate. Extreme fatigue may also occur and result in considerable impairment of the quality of life.
Allergic rhinitis (hay fever) is an important and debilitating disease

• Allergic rhinitis predisposes people to more frequent sinus infections
• People with allergic rhinitis can get tired and run down due to poor quality sleep
• Severe allergic rhinitis impairs learning and performance in children, results in more frequent absenteeism in adults and reduced productivity
• Allergic rhinitis makes asthma more difficult to control

Pollen can also trigger asthma
Some people with severe allergic rhinitis (hay fever) think that their allergic rhinitis turns into asthma or will make them tight in the chest or wheeze. However, pollen can directly trigger asthma as well as allergic rhinitis (hay fever). Small particles containing allergen can penetrate deep into the airways of the lung. Thunderstorms can also contribute to this - when pollen granules come into contact with water, starch granules are released that are small enough to be breathed into the airways, causing hay fever and asthma in some people. So if you wheeze mostly during Spring, see your doctor for appropriate advice.

Immunotherapy is a long term treatment option
Medicines only reduce the severity of symptoms. They do not cure it. Another option is allergen specific immunotherapy (also known as 'desensitation'), whereby one tries to switch off the allergic reaction by repeatedly injecting small doses of allergen extracts, by injection or sublingual drops. Both are long term treatments, which are often given over a few years. Immunotherapy should only be initiated by a medical specialist (Allergist / Clinical immunologist).

Asian diagnostics is the first and only center in the state where in-vitro tests are being carried out.