People living in urban areas report significantly worse hay fever symptoms according to the first study to compare pollution levels with the severity and duration of real-time symptoms.
Feb 22, 2023
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A team of researchers at the University of Gothenburg has found that when infants live with pets, they grow up to have fewer allergies and other diseases. In their paper published on the open access site PLOS ONE, the group ...
Giving a probiotic supplement to pregnant mothers and their infants significantly reduces the chances of a child developing eczema for the first 11 years of their life, researchers have shown.
Dec 17, 2018
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Patients with asthma and hay fever have an increased risk of developing psychiatric disorders, finds a new study published in open-access journal Frontiers in Psychiatry. Almost 11% of patients with common allergic diseases ...
Apr 23, 2018
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A major international study has pinpointed more than 100 genetic risk factors that explain why some people suffer from asthma, hay fever and eczema.
Oct 31, 2017
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Protein fragments taken from grass can help protect hay fever patients from allergic reactions to pollen grains.
Oct 13, 2017
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(Medical Xpress)—In two of the largest genetic studies ever conducted on common allergies, including pollen, dust-mite and cat allergies, 16 new genetic regions related to the condition have been discovered. Together they ...
Jul 1, 2013
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The extent to which our development is affected by nature or nurture – our genetic make-up or our environment – may differ depending on where we live, according to new research.
Jun 12, 2012
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(Medical Xpress) -- Previous human studies have suggested that early life exposure to microbes (i.e., germs) is an important determinant of adulthood sensitivity to allergic and autoimmune diseases such as hay fever, asthma ...
Mar 22, 2012
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(Medical Xpress) -- Researchers from Children of the 90s at the University of Bristol, in collaboration with 22 other studies from across the world, have discovered three new genetic variants associated with the skin condition ...
Dec 26, 2011
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Allergic rhinitis is an allergic inflammation of the nasal airways. It occurs when an allergen, such as pollen, dust or animal dander (particles of shed skin and hair) is inhaled by an individual with a sensitized immune system. In such individuals, the allergen triggers the production of the antibody immunoglobulin E (IgE), which binds to mast cells and basophils containing histamine. When caused by pollens of any plants, it is called "pollinosis", and if specifically caused by grass pollens, it is known as "hay fever". Ironically, in hay fever, there is neither any fever nor any hay, but since grasses shed their pollens into the air, at about the same time that hay is being cut, the common term hay fever is used.
IgE bound to mast cells are stimulated by pollen and dust, causing the release of inflammatory mediators such as histamine (and other chemicals). This usually causes sneezing, itchy and watery eyes, swelling and inflammation of the nasal passages, and an increase in mucus production. Symptoms vary in severity between individuals. Very sensitive individuals can experience hives or other rashes. Particulate matter in polluted air, and chemicals such as chlorine and detergents, which can normally be tolerated, can greatly aggravate allergic rhinitis. The physician John Bostock first described hay fever in 1819 as a disease.
Allergies are common. Heredity and environmental exposures may contribute to a predisposition to allergies. It is roughly estimated that one in three people have an active allergy at any given time and at least three in four people develop an allergic reaction at least once in their lives. In Western countries between 10–25% of people annually are affected by allergic rhinitis.
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