What does hay fever mean?

Many people are relatively unfamiliar with hay fever, and many people do not know what hay fever specifically means. Because of the name hay fever, most people have a misunderstanding about hay fever and think that hay fever is a Chinese herbal medicine. Clinically, hay fever is actually a disease with obvious symptoms. If you want to treat hay fever, you must understand the nature of the disease in order to solve the problem.

1. Overview

Hay fever is an acute seasonal allergic rhinitis caused by wind-borne pollen. The spring type is caused by tree pollen (oak, elm, maple, alder, birch, cottonwood, olive); the summer type is caused by garden grass pollen (dog grass, cattail, lemongrass, orchard grass, Johnson grass) and wild grass pollen (sheep sorrel, English plantain); the autumn type is caused by wild grass pollen (ragweed). Seasonal hay fever can be caused by airborne mold spores, so the disease has significant geographical differences.

2. Symptoms

The main clinical manifestations of hay fever occur during the peak pollen season, mainly in spring and summer, with symptoms of frequent nasal itching, paroxysmal sneezing, large amounts of watery nasal discharge, nasal congestion, loss of smell, itching of the eyes, photophobia, burning, tearing, or swollen eyelids. Sometimes there is an itchy feeling in the upper palate and even the external auditory canal and skin of the neck. The symptoms mainly manifest in the nose and eyes. They are usually more severe in the morning and evening, or occur suddenly upon contact with flowers and plants, or in the scorching sun. In severe cases, the attack is accompanied by coughing and difficulty breathing. Patients with a genetic allergic constitution may, in addition to this disease, suffer from other allergic diseases such as food allergies, eczema, bronchial asthma, etc. at the same time or successively.

3. Western medicine treatment of hay fever

Avoiding the allergen can relieve symptoms. Most patients can be relieved by taking oral antihistamines. If these drugs have a strong sedative effect, non-sedative antihistamines can be used instead (see antihistamines above). Topical treatments are also an option (see below). Sympathomimetics are often used in combination with antihistamines. Phenylpropanolamine, phenylephrine, or pseudoephedrine are effective antihistamine decongestants. Oral sympathomimetics can increase blood pressure and should not be used in patients with a tendency to hypertension without regular monitoring.