Summer sniffles - How to deal with the misery of hayfever

Summer is here, and while most of us welcome the warmer weather and smell of freshly cut grass, for many, the months of May to September can spell misery.

Hayfever, an allergy to pollen, can affect up to one in five of us in our lifetimes. It can start at any time of life and can often vary year to year - or disappear altogether. It is more common if you have a personal or family history of other allergic conditions such as asthma or eczema.

Symptoms include sneezing, runny or blocked nose, itchy and watering eyes. It can also sometimes cause facial discomfort, headache and fatigue. If you suffer with asthma you may also find this feels worse with an increase in coughing and wheezing.

Hay fever can have a massive impact on patients’ lives – affecting their ability to work, sleep or enjoy the outdoors. The good news however, is that there are lots of things you can do to help your symptoms without needing to visit a doctor.

Here are my top ten tips for dealing with the seasonal sniffles:

Antihistamines – These are the mainstay of hay fever treatment and are available over the counter in tablet and spray form. There are many such as cetirizine and loratadine which do not cause drowsiness, and are available in liquid forms for children.

Nasal sprays – Also available from your pharmacist. If the main symptoms you are suffering with are a runny, itchy or blocked nose then a steroid nasal spray will help enormously. Make sure you tip your head forward when using these sprays ,and aim towards your eyebrow, otherwise you may just end up swallowing it.

Eye drops – If itchy and watery eyes are your main symptom, ask your pharmacist for sodium cromoglycate drops. They will sting for a few seconds but relieve the eye symptoms of hay fever very effectively.

Start early – If you are a hay fever sufferer, prevention is better than a cure. Start regular treatment two weeks before you usually start with symptoms.

Treat regularly – The commonest mistake patients make with hay fever is waiting until their symptoms are severe before starting treatment - and then only using treatments intermittently. During the hay fever season, it is important to take preventative action and use your treatments every day throughout the season.

Stop the pollen getting in your house – keep windows and doors closed in the summer months.

Stop the pollen getting in your eyes and nose – Wear wraparound sunglasses to stop the pollen getting in your eyes, and use a smear of Vaseline around your eyes and nostrils to trap pollen particles. Some people also use nasal washouts, which are available from your pharmacist.

Wash the pollen off – shower and wash your hair after coming in from outdoors and especially before bed.

Stop the pollen getting in your bed – Put a cover over your bed and pillow and in the evening, carefully fold and remove the cover, to prevent any pollen particles getting into your sleeping area.

Keep the pollen out of your car – keep the windows closed and consider buying a pollen filter for your air vents (these will need changing with every service).

If you have tried all of the above for several weeks and you are still having symptoms that are having a significant impact on your life, then you may be one of the minority who need more specialist treatments. Your doctor may suggest a very short course of oral steroids for temporary relief, especially if there is an important event coming up such as exams, or refer you for desensitisation immunotherapy.

Fortunately the vast majority of patients will find over the counter medication and pollen avoidance measures will be enough, so hopefully you can all enjoy the summer months, whatever the great British weather brings!

By Dr Rachel Tyler, Stirling Road Surgery, St Budeaux