Despite the small green areas that exist in cities, unlike in rural areas, it is the citizens who suffer from the manifestation of an allergic reaction to pollen. The reason for this situation is high air pollution. City dwellers breathe harmful chemical components that irritate the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, lower immunity.
The risk of acquiring allergies exists for everyone, even a baby in the womb. As a rule, allergies occur in childhood, but the first symptoms can occur only during puberty. Asthma most often occurs in adults, allergic rhinitis – in the elderly.
You may be wondering why some people are so sensitive to certain allergens and others not? Why do people who are prone to allergies, the body produces more immunoglobulin class E (IgE) than those who are not inclined to them?
The main reason is heredity. It is known that the tendency to allergies – a business, so to speak, a family. The level of risk that you will be exposed to allergies is directly related to your parents’ susceptibility to allergies. If the parents did not have this inclination, the risk that it will appear among you is only 15%. If the propensity to allergies was one of the parents – the degree of risk rises to 30%; if both – the probability that you are prone to allergies, will be more than 60%.
You may inherit a tendency to allergies, but despite this, its symptoms may not appear. It is not a fact that you will inherit a tendency to those allergies and diseases that your parents suffered. It is still unclear what determines the list of allergens to which the body reacts. It is also not known how acutely the symptoms of an allergy will appear, and what kind of disease it can provoke.
Another unknown is the environmental factor. The only obvious thing is that the propensity for an allergic reaction to a certain allergen is genetically transmitted. The sooner the first contact with the allergen occurs, and the more often it will occur, the greater the likelihood that the allergy will manifest.
There are some other important factors that can influence the onset of an allergic reaction. Among them – smoking, polluted environment, infection and hormones.
Seasonal Allergies: Symptoms and Control Methods
Spring is the most dangerous season for allergy sufferers, along with the awakening of nature, they manifest an increased body reaction to pollen from which it is almost impossible to hide, since the wind spreads it for tens of kilometers.
Allergic rhinitis, or pollinosis, is a seasonal disease caused by plant pollen. Sometimes this disease is also called hay fever, spring catarrh, pollen asthma, and seasonal rhinitis.
The disease is accompanied by conjunctivitis (manifested as itching and redness of the eyes, lacrimation, but without purulent discharge), atopic dermatitis (rash on the skin), seasonal bronchial asthma, tickling in the nose and runny nose, nasal congestion, paroxysmal sneezing and, in some cases, reduction in olfactory odor, suffocation, dry cough, swelling. With the development of allergies in children there is noise and pain in the ears.
Dangerous plants
Keep in mind that the timing of flowering plants may vary depending on weather conditions.
Do not forget that for each climatic region is characterized by its own allergens.
- March-April: alder, hazel, willow.
- April-May: birch, ash, oak, poplar, maple, willow, elm, aspen.
- April-September: allergy to the spores of fungi-microorganisms – mold fungi.
- May-June: spruce, pine, dandelion.
- May-July: fescue, timothy, hedgehog, bluegrass, ryegrass, foxtail, rye, bonfire, wheat grass, barley, oats.
- June-July: plantain, linden, buckwheat.
- July-August: nettle
- July-October: wormwood, quinoa, nettle, ragweed, mar and other weeds.
Precautionary measures
Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely recover from allergies, you can only stabilize the state of the body and ease the course of the disease during the flowering period of the plants, so follow these rules:
- Plan your trips so that you have less contact with plants that cause allergies, especially be careful about traveling out of town. It is best to change the geographical position during the flowering period of the allergen and leave, if possible, on vacation. If circumstances do not allow you to leave this climate zone, then try to go out less often.
- Use medication therapy, which consists of taking anti-allergy drugs. Be careful and take only those drugs that are prescribed by an allergist. Start taking medication should be 2 weeks before the flowering season. In no case do not resort to self-treatment and contact your doctor, as self-selected drugs may be ineffective in your particular case.
- There is another method of treatment of hyposensitization – the gradual introduction of allergens into the body, starting with small doses and ending with large ones. This method allows to reduce the level of sensitivity to pollen, thereby facilitating the manifestation of the disease.
- Pregnant women who suffer from allergies should switch to antihistamines – ointments and sprays.
- Close the windows of the house, which overlook the green zone.
- Do house cleaning as often as possible.
- Returning home from the street, immediately take a shower and change clothes, flush your nose and rinse your throat with seawater.
- Spend drying things in the house, not on the street.
- Use air purifiers or air conditioners with air filters.
- Follow the hypoallergenic diet.
