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What to do with the diagnosis of hay fever?

The phenomena of pollinosis have been known for a long time, even Hippocrates in the 5th century BC. Describe the symptoms of seasonal allergies. The term "hay fever" was introduced into medical use by the British physician John Bostock and, as can be seen from the term, the doctor from "foggy Albion" directly associated the symptoms of rhinoconjunctivitis in his patients with plants, in particular during the mowing period. In the future, various doctors, over the course of decades, wondered: what is the reason? Until in 1879d. David Blakely has not proven that pollen is the cause of this phenomenon.

Reasons for the development of seasonal allergies

The flowering period in central Russia lasts quite a long time, from mid-March, when the snow has not yet melted and many people suffer from depression due to the prolonged winter, and until October, when the first frosts at night touch puddles in the yard. But not every plant can cause hay fever , as there are quantitative and qualitative factors. And, if everything is more or less clear with quantitative ones (the greater the physical amount of dust elements, the more likely it is to cause allergies), then many do not know about qualitative ones. In order to be pollinated by insects, the plant's pollen needs to be relatively large in order to "hook" on the insect and thus reach the pistil. Conversely, the pollen of wind-pollinated plants must be small in order to move freely in space, and in order to cause an allergic reaction, dust particles must be no more than 50 microns.

The qualitative factors in the development of allergic reactions, first of all, include hereditary predisposition. So, if both parents in the family suffer from pollinosis, then the probability of any allergic diseases in the child reaches 85%. And this is not necessarily hay fever, because it is not a “diagnosis” that is inherited, but a pathological mechanism. Allergic rhinitis does not necessarily occur in childhood, it can also occur in adulthood. This is called "late sensitization". This kind of rhinitis can occur both on the basis of relatively complete health, and from strong emotional or hormonal shocks. In women, for example, pregnancy and childbirth often provoke the onset of allergic diseases.

However, any damage to the gene can be de novo, and in the family of the descendants of the Vikings, where there is not a single allergy sufferer and, in general, “no one has ever been ill with anything”, there is a possibility of the birth of such a child. The essence of the pathological mechanism is that the immune system of a sick person tends to perceive some proteins from the environment as foreign. In response to this, from her point of view, pathogen, the immune system begins to act as a normal response for it - a complex of inflammatory reactions, one of the links of which is the release of histamine. It, in turn, causes symptoms familiar to all allergy sufferers, for example, mucosal edema, mucus hypersecretion, sneezing and itching. By the way, itching of the nose is one of the most significant symptoms of allergic rhinitis in children, because everyone has discharge, but not every runny nose is accompanied by an itchy nose.

Thus, we smoothly moved on to the question: how to distinguish hay fever from, for example, a common cold with a runny nose, conjunctivitis and cough?

Based on the name, it is clear that seasonal allergy manifests itself at a certain time of the year and is accompanied by the same symptoms: runny nose, nasal congestion, itchy nose, itchy eyes, watery eyes and cough. Of course, such symptoms can be present during the year with a cold, but you need to pay attention to the details. First, the disease proceeds without an increase in body temperature. Secondly, the symmetry of manifestations. In the vast majority of cases of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, the symptoms are not unilateral, because dust particles are evenly distributed in the air and also evenly, during inhalation, enter the nose and eyes. Thirdly, there is great relief in rainy weather (dust "nails" to the ground) and aggravation in dry windy weather. And, fourthly, the positive effect of antihistamines. But it is not exactly. Often, the patient is hindered by the conviction in any diagnosis, or vice versa, the disbelief that something like this can happen to him, because he did not have this before 25 (30, 35, 40, 50, etc. ) years. Therefore, in any case, it is worth contacting a specialist.

Diagnosis and treatment

Diagnostic search for an allergist during the flowering period usually consists in proving the very fact of acute allergies and prescribing adequate individual therapy. However, the treatment of hay fever during the period of active pollination is always only a symptomatic therapy that can only alleviate the patient's suffering at the time of exacerbation, no matter how long it may be.

Pollinosis is a chronic disease and the task of an allergist is to achieve a long-term remission.

Today, according to all world standards, there is only one reliable and safe way to achieve long-term remission, and this is Allergen Immunotherapy (AIT, ASIT, SIT). The method, which has been used since 1911, has proven its effectiveness, but requires the patient to be directly involved in the treatment process. The essence of the method is to "educate" the immune system tolerance cells to perceive foreign antigens as safe and not react to them with inflammation. But first you need to find a cause-significant (major) allergen. To do this, we have a number of tests in our clinic, ranging from skin tests with allergens to high-tech blood tests for specific allergens, which allow you to accurately identify the cause-significant allergen and start preparing for the season on time. In order to correctly prescribe an examination and correctly recommend this or that therapy, the doctor needs a detailed conversation with the patient (or the parents of our little patients).

Make an appointment with an allergist

For more details, consult a qualified specialist at the Semeynaya clinic.

For prices for allergist appointments or other questions, please follow the link below:

Allergies during pregnancy Articles