In order to prepare for the spring pollen season and successfully reduce allergy symptoms, start taking anti-allergy medications at least one month before the onset of symptoms.
Spring has come. The majority of people are delighted with awakening of nature, but not the ones who suffer from allergies. Hay fever is the most common epidemic chronic disease today and more than half a billion people on the planet suffer from it. Young people aged 15 to 25 are most at risk, but year by year, there is ever more patients who experience pollen allergy for the first time in their midlife.
„The latest researches show that global warming has a negative effect and increases the symptoms of pollen allergy. Time is an important factor. Allergy season starts at an earlier date and lasts longer. In the earlier days, winter turned smoothly into spring, but today it is not like that. Pronounced temperature changes, increased level of humidity, strong winds that carry allergens over long distances, even to other regions where there is no pronounced flowering, all this contributes to the spread and worsening of the problem with allergies. Three decades ago, pollen allergy occurred in only 1-2% of the population. Today, it is present in as many as 30% of people", explains graduate pharmacist Katarina Barudžija, regional product manager for RX medicines at the Hemofarm company.
What are the plants in our area that release larger amounts of pollen? What other allergens from our environment can cause allergic problems?
„Hundreds of different plants release pollen that can cause allergic reactions, but birch, oak, grass, weeds, ragweed are the most responsible for allergic rhinitis in our country. Allergens can also be dust, mold, mites, pet hair and feathers, certain types of food, etc.," says our interlocutor.
Accelerated increase in the number of patients
The World Health Organization data warn that every third child and every fifth adult in the world suffer from some form of allergy. In the USA, allergies are the sixth leading cause of chronic disease, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Spring allergies can really make people miserable.
„More than 1/3 of Europeans suffer from allergic rhinitis. Allergic rhinitis and nasal allergies can significantly affect the quality of life. Sneezing, stuffy nose, watery discharge from the nose, itching, redness of the nose and eyes, cough, scratchy throat, a series of these unpleasant complaints significantly impair the quality of life and can seriously reduce the ability to work. Despite this, as many as 90% of people with allergic diseases are untreated or insufficiently and inadequately treated.”
How to protect oneself from or alleviate allergies to pollen?
„Persons prone to allergies are recommended to stay indoors during spring as much as possible, especially early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when the majority of plants release pollen. Avoid excursions, cycling, activities in nature. Intensify hygiene measures in your living space. Keep your windows closed in order to reduce exposure to pollen particles. It is important after the symptoms appear to seek the advice of an allergist and, if necessary, a dermatovenerologist, otorhinolaryngologist, and pulmonologist.”, emphasizes the graduate pharmacist, Katarina Barudžija.
Start treatment as soon as possible
Our interlocutor indicates that medicines are most effective when they are applied preventively. If you suffer from hay fever, take anti-allergy medication before symptoms appear.
„It is desirable to start antihistamine therapy at least one month before the beginning of the pollen season. If you have not done so, be sure to start using the medication as soon as the first symptoms of pollen allergy appear. Standard therapy includes the medications that alleviate the symptoms. Oral antihistamines block the histamine that the body releases in contact with the allergen and thus alleviate the symptoms of allergic rhinitis. Decongestants reduce the swelling of the blood vessels in the nose, thereby freeing the airways and reducing redness, and saline relieves nasal irritation.”
Despite unpleasant and annoying allergic complaints, people ignore the problem for a long time, so as many as 90% of patients with allergic diseases are untreated or insufficiently and inadequately treated.
„Lack of information can have serious consequences. It is important to know that untreated or insufficiently controlled allergic rhinitis leads to the development of other, more serious diseases, such as chronic sinusitis or allergic asthma. So don't ignore the allergy problem", warns Katarina Barudžija from Hemofarm.
