Pollen & Hayfever

Certain pollens are the principal cause of seasonal allergy. They contain various combinations of proteins that the allergic person recognises as 'allergens'. This over-zealous defensive reaction leads to symptoms particularly in the nose and eyes and less frequently in the lungs. In particular, symptoms include over-production of mucous, respiratory difficulties and a runny, itchy and sore nose: eyes become watery. Though rarely life threatening, the disease can cause a great deal of distress at a time of the year when we would like to be enjoying the countryside or when younger people are studying or doing exams. The appearance of these symptoms every year at the time of the flowering of particular plants is typical of an allergy to pollen which can be very distressing and significantly reduce the quality of life.

Sometimes people allergic to certain pollens can also show allergic reactions on eating certain foods. This is called cross reactivity. An example of this is when people allergic to the pollen from birch trees also get symptoms after eating apples.

In the UK the most important sources of pollen allergy are grasses and trees. Trees most commonly implicated are the birch, hazel and alder. Weeds such as plantain, mugwort and fat hen also cause allergic symptoms in a few people.