Seasonal allergy: symptoms, treatment, drugs

Seasonal allergy is a reaction of the human immune system to irritants of the surrounding world, entering a certain time of the year in contact with his body. This phenomenon is also called "pollen" (pollen), which means "pollen". The disease has long-standing roots: even the ancient Greeks (both the common people and the elite) suffered from ambrosia, which caused choking and rashes on the skin. Seasonal allergy to ragweed is a scourge of modern society. This attractive bright green plant with carved openwork leaves and today is the No. 1 enemy among the representatives of a diverse flora. Its tiny pollen is considered to be one of the most powerful allergens, capable of causing allergic reactions: it is enough only 25 grains of matter per 1 cubic meter of air. One plant is able to give several million such particles that can cause asthma in humans - a dangerous disease of the respiratory tract.

Historical reference

Going back to history ... Mention of a condition similar to seasonal allergy is found in the works of Claudius Galen, a Greek doctor. The link between the massive bouts of coughing and flowering trees was also observed by Dutch healer and naturalist Jan Baptist Van Helmont.

In 1819, the first descriptions of hay fever appeared - this is how the seasonal allergic reaction was officially designated by the English healer John Bostock, who linked it with such provoking factor as hay. Half a century later, in 1873, his compatriot David Bleckley proved that the cause of hay fever is actually the pollen of plants. Sixteen years later, at a public meeting of the Society of Russian Doctors in St. Petersburg, Dr. L. Silich delivered information about pollinosis, and for the first time a mass seasonal allergy manifested itself in the 1960s in the Krasnodar Territory. Its causative agent was ragweed, imported into Russia from the US with wheat.

To date, according to official statistics, every fifth inhabitant of the Earth is familiar with a seasonal allergy that does not distinguish people by age, gender and region of residence. The actual number of people suffering from hay fever is in fact much larger and, despite significant achievements in studying the ways of fighting this disease, is inexorably growing every year. How to treat seasonal allergy?

The causes of seasonal allergies

The causes of the disease are pollinosis, the provocateur of which is pollen of plants and spores of fungi (from 500 to 700 species) are:

• Hereditary factor;
• Weakened immunity;
• Presence of chronic broncho-pulmonary diseases;
• The presence in the body of an allergy of a different kind (for food, medicines, chemical compounds);
• Harmful working conditions;
• Unfavorable ecological state of the environment.

Which plants should beware of?

Seasonal allergy is caused by plants that are unpretentious to the location and climatic conditions, but are aggressive towards the person from an allergic point of view: maple, alder, oak, cypress, birch, ash, linden, willow, walnut, elm, hazel. From meadow grasses - timothy, lucerne, clover in the flowering period. Rye, buckwheat, wheat, oats are crops that cause a person to develop such a dangerous condition as seasonal allergies. Pollen ragweed also should be avoided.

Season change is also one of the reasons for the occurrence of hay fever. The most acute illness manifests itself in the spring and autumn periods, in summer - much less often, in winter - very rarely. Seasonal allergies in August, the treatment of which is a fairly protracted process, can occur due to the flowering of the above herbs.

Spring allergy: symptoms

Spring is the time of awakening of nature and hay fever at the same time. How is seasonal allergy manifested:

• Eyes - redness, lacrimation, sensation of "mote", fear of light, itching.
• In the nose - a runny nose, decreased sense of smell, sneezing, itching and its stuffiness. The mucus secreted from the nasal sinuses is characterized by a liquid, transparent consistency.
• In the respiratory system - shortness of breath, difficulty in making an inspiration, rapid breathing, attacks of suffocation (with pollen bronchial asthma), frequent, dry and exhausting cough.

Less often there is a rash on the body, hives, severe itching dermatitis in the form of dry or wet bubbles. Such physical manifestations are accompanied by weakness, headache, increased fatigue, loss of appetite and, by all signs, resemble ARVI characteristic of this season.

A distinctive feature between a viral infection and seasonal allergy is the absence of elevated body temperature. With pollinosis, there is none. It is especially dangerous in children and elderly people, since it is characterized by latent symptoms at the initial stage and rapid development of exacerbation in the future.

Seasonal allergy, the treatment of which is a fairly long process and requires considerable patience, is sometimes accompanied by migraine attacks, irritability, abdominal pain and nausea (when pollen enters the digestive system). Exacerbation of symptoms may be angioedema, developing in about 10% of allergy sufferers and requiring immediate medical attention. Named in another way by the "Quincke's edema" or "giant urticaria," characterized by a sharp beginning, spontaneous course, unpredictable completion, caused by swelling of subcutaneous tissue, mucous membranes and skin. Most often, such a dangerous reaction prone the upper body, neck and face.

The seasonal allergy of the spring period begins in the first days of April, when the flowering of birch and alder begins, and ends in May. By the way, birch pollen can spread over long distances. A person suffering from pollinosis, sometimes comes to amazement, realizing that he suffers suffering from a birch allergen, while white-skinned beauties nearby are not observed.

The opinion about the harmfulness of poplar fluff as an allergen is erroneous. Blooming early poplars at the end of May cover the soil with white fluff, which is an excellent mobile means of heavy pollen settling with trees growing in the neighborhood. People suffering from seasonal allergies, mostly begin to notice its manifestations about a week before rush hour. How to get rid of seasonal allergies?

Autumnal Pollinosis

The cause of autumn pollinosis are the allergens that are activated during this period:

• Pollen of plants, the flowering of which occurs in the autumn season;
• Fungi mold, appearing with high humidity;
• Various mites.

Pollen of plants through the human respiratory organs gets inside, causing the immune system to actively produce antibodies. Their action is aimed at attacking foreign cells and causes the release of histamine into the blood, which, in turn, is the cause of various allergic manifestations. In addition to the main symptoms, the autumnal allergy may be itching in the mouth and throat, which in medical practice sounds like "oral allergic syndrome."

Seasonal allergies in children

Pollinosis in children's population category is quite frequent and can develop for reasons:

• Hereditary predisposition;
• Viral and infectious diseases of the mother during the bearing of the baby;
• Incorrect or untimely vaccination;
• Artificial feeding;
• Contact with bacterial infections and virus carriers;
• Low immunity;
• Dysfunction of the digestive system.

In children, seasonal allergies, the treatment of which should have a complex approach, can proceed nonspecifically, representing a "disguised" pollinosis and being expressed in:

• Partial redness of the eyes;
• Pain and stuffiness in the ears;
• Cough;
• Habit of constantly touching the nose.

The exact cause of this symptomatology can only be established by an allergist by applying a special diagnosis that can determine a specific allergen.

Pollinosis or ARVI?

Seasonal allergy, reviews of which confirm its temporality, in some cases may still be accompanied by an increase in body temperature, which significantly complicates the precise diagnosis of the disease, as the observed clinical picture is very similar to ARVI and ARI, especially at the onset of the disease. And the patients themselves, noticing a runny nose, headache, malaise, no rash, mistakenly take allergic manifestations for a cold and are taken for self-treatment.

The consequence of uncontrolled administration of drugs is the erasure of the inherent pollinosis of the symptoms, the complication of the course of the disease and the manifestation of an organism more aggressive reaction to the present inflammatory process.

Elevated temperature is most often noted in young children, along with the manifestation of urticaria and rashes on the skin. Also seasonal allergies can be accompanied by feverish conditions, especially in toddlers 2-7 years old.

Diagnosis of pollinosis

The root causes of seasonal allergic reactions are identified by interviewing the patient and comparing the timing of flowering of the carnivorous flora, possibly triggering the appearance of this disease. The medical expert-allergologist performs the examination of the respiratory system and nasal cavity, general clinical diagnosis with the mandatory delivery of sputum and blood tests, an allergy test to identify the "culprit" of physical ailment, as well as consultations with a dermatologist, immunologist, ENT doctor, pulmonologist.

How to avoid allergies?

Seasonal allergy, the symptoms of which are sudden and dangerous, is a disease that needs to be guarded as much as possible. Therefore, there are such recommendations:

• Avoid and avoid contact with the allergen;
• Take antihistamines;
• Conduct a specific immunotherapy, during which the body "accustoms" to resist the allergen less intensively.

It is not recommended to apply the method in a state of exacerbation, namely from the beginning of spring to the end of autumn. Winter is the most favorable time for obtaining a full course of treatment for such a dangerous disease as seasonal allergies.

Treatment, drugs

Therapy of seasonal allergy, whose task is to reduce the brightness of symptoms and protect internal organs from the influence of allergens, depends on the period of its manifestation, the stage of the disease, the individual specificity of the patient's body. Official medicine recommends the use of a number of drugs that can effectively cure such a disease as seasonal allergies.

Treatment (drugs)

• Antihistamines:

1. 1 generation: Diphenhydramine, Chloropyramine, Pipolphen, Suprastin, and Diprazin.
2. 2 generation: "Hifenadine", "Clemastin", "Oxatomide", "Azelastin", "Doxypamine".
3. 3 generation: "Astemizol", "Acryvastin", "Norastemizol", "Terfenadin";
4. 4 generation: "Loratadin", "Cetirizine", "Ebastin".

Their action is aimed at inhibiting the very initial stage of the body's immune defense against the allergen. Literally immediately after taking the drug, the discharge from the nasal sinuses stops, their puffiness decreases. The most harmless and effective drugs are 3 and 4 generations. Medicines are shown throughout the flowering period, even if allergic symptoms are absent. The positive features of antihistamines are the quickness of action (up to 60 minutes), the high activation of their absorption by the digestive organs, the lack of habituation.

• Vasculature, well suppressing symptoms of rhinitis and normalizing the tone of the circulatory system. This "Galazolin", "Sanorin", "Otryvin", "Oksetamazolin" - medicines, which cause neutralization of nasal congestion and getting rid of allergic rhinitis. The duration of treatment is not more than 7 days. Further the doctor should recommend more effective agent.
• Preparations "Promoclimat sodium", produced in the form of sprays and drops for the eyes and nose and prescribed by a doctor for the treatment of conjunctivitis and allergic rhinitis. Reduce aggressive manifestations of the body's immune system in the nasal cavity and eyes.
• Glucocorticocosteroids. Prescribed in cases of futile action of antihistamines. Used short-term course until the disappearance of acute symptoms; Treatment is gentle and gentle. Quickly remove inflammation. This is "Rinocort", "Baconaz", "Betamethasone", "Nazakort", "Sintaris".

Traditional medicine: recipes

Seasonal allergy in August, the treatment of which is effective in traditional therapy, is successfully treated with folk methods. To apply them is recommended only after consultation with the attending physician and only during the relaxation of the disease. Use natural remedies should be very accurate, since most of them are allergens.

Effective infusion on the basis of leaves and shoots of currants black. Dried raw materials in the amount of 2 tablespoons are required to fill with 1.5 cups of boiling water, insist for an hour, filtered, diluted with boiled warm water to a volume of ½ liter. Infusion to take a week, one tablespoon every 2 hours. This remedy is aimed at activating the immune system and releasing the body from toxins.

Positive impact on the body is characterized by field horsetail. 2 tablespoons of dry raw material should be poured a glass of boiling water, leave it for half an hour, then drain. Drink during the day hourly. Then 2 days off. In total, take a horse-drawn decoction should be within 2 weeks.

According to many cured from hay fever, fresh or dried figs have a good effect, which must be taken on a daily basis. The product causes normalization of the digestive system, strengthening of immunity and activation of metabolism. The fig should be eaten on an empty stomach, half an hour before breakfast and dinner, one fruit each.

A good result manifests such a cure for seasonal allergies as juice from the root of celery, containing in its composition useful amino acids. The curative means removes toxins, restores metabolism, and has a renewing effect on the composition of the blood. To prepare the juice should choose freshly harvested root. The received structure to drink on a teaspoon before meal during half of month.

The component of many recipes of traditional medicine is honey. Allergists do not recommend treatment with a pollen product that can cause an allergic attack. Even if no negative reactions were observed with the use of honey, it is possible that they can manifest as a symptom.

Treatment of seasonal allergies will show good results with the regular application of proven recipes and great patience. Sometimes, to wait for a positive result, herbal preparations should be drunk for months, or even more. Weaning symptoms of pollinosis can be observed after a few weeks, depending on the individual characteristics of the patient and the intensity of allergies.

Preventive measures

According to people who know each other not by hearsay with seasonal allergies, an important factor is the observance of preventive measures, namely:

• Avoid contact with plant provocateurs. During their flowering, when possible, seldom go out, shorten walks, especially on hot and windy days.
• Closing in the room windows and doors. Effectively, they are curtained with a transparent damp cloth that absorbs pollen.
• Thorough washing of hands and whole body after coming from the street.
• Moving to places with moist air (leave by the sea or river coast) during the active flowering of plants.
• Strengthening immunity by consuming vitamin-containing drugs several months before the flowering period.