Who Is Likely To Get Hayfever?

In the UK around 15% of the population suffer to some degree from hayfever. The risk for an individual to develop the condition is up to 40% if one parent suffers from allergy and up to 80% if both parents have allergies. A person who has this genetic predisposition to develop allergies is called 'atopic'. Probably about 30% of the population are atopic to a degree.

However, not all atopics develop symptoms. The disease manifests itself after repeated contact with a substance to which the immune system reacts in an incorrect or overreactive way. Hayfever is seen particularly in children, adolescents and young adults. On occasions it develops in older people.

An atopic can be allergic to one pollen or several and to other materials as well.