Spring is a long-awaited season for a large part of the population. The arrival of good temperatures and the sun encourages people to go outside, thus forgetting the usual cold of winter. The terraces fill up and the atmosphere is much happier, but other factors also appear that are negative because they affect health, such as spring allergies. Some symptoms of spring allergy are conjunctivitis, nasal congestion and sneezing, itchy throat, among others. There are two treatments for spring allergies: antihistamines and immunotherapy.
And for many people, spring is linked to pollen allergy, also known as pollinosis and which affects almost 8 million Spaniards. It usually occurs in urban environments more frequently than in rural ones because air pollution favors its effect. To discover everything about the Causes of spring allergy, its symptoms and remediesat unCOMO we recommend that you continue reading this article.
- Causes of spring allergy
- Spring allergy symptoms
- Remedies for spring allergies
Causes of spring allergy
Spring allergy, also known as allergic rhinitis or hay feveris a response of the immune system when identifying the entry of a foreign external agentas is pollen in this case. With the arrival of good temperatures, plants release tiny grains of pollen into the air, coming into contact with the respiratory tract and eyes.
This contact with pollen grains produces a stimulation of the immune system in people allergic to pollen, generating the release of different chemical substances, including histamine.
The histamine It is one of the main substances that cause common allergy symptoms. The causes of spring allergies are as follows:
- He shade plantain and grasses They are some of the pollens that cause the most allergic reactions.
- Grasses (belonging to the family of herbaceous plants, with approximately 12,100 described species) and banana trees are the main pollens responsible of the appearance of common symptoms of spring respiratory allergy (rhinitis and asthma).
- The pollen of the cypress and olive trees are acquiring more and more relevance among the causes of spring allergy, since in some areas (especially the olive tree in southern Spain) they are being used as ornamental trees in parks, hedges and gardens.
In this post we explain how to know if I have an allergy.
Spring allergy symptoms
Symptoms related to spring allergies are quite variedsince they affect different parts of the body such as the eyes, throat, nose or lungs.
The main symptoms of spring allergy (to pollen) are the following:
- Conjunctivitis.
- Nasal congestion and sneezing.
- Clear, liquid, whitish secretions.
- Itching in the throat, nose and palate.
- Difficulty breathing, coughing and wheezing. These symptoms are known as pollen asthma.
Remedies for spring allergies
There are two methods that allow the treatment of spring allergies: immunotherapy and antihistamines.
Immunotherapy
It is popularly known as allergy vaccine. It consists of the sublingual or subcutaneous administration of the element that causes the allergy in a series of increasingly higher doses, reaching a maximum previously established by a doctor specializing in Allergology.
It is a process that can last a period of 3 to 5 years. It is the only treatment capable of improving the allergy: it can even make it disappear.
Antihistamines
These medications They allow you to relieve the symptoms associated with spring allergies. They are drugs that block the action of histamine, that is, a chemical substance generated by the human body that causes the symptoms of allergies.
In addition to intervening in allergic reactions, histamine influences the secretion of gastric juicesas well as in the regulation of sleep cycles. Currently, the most used antihistamines are Desloratadine, Cetrizine, Ebastine, Loratadine and Levocetrizine.
Before starting any of these treatments, in oneHOWTO We recommend that you consult with a doctor or pharmacist. so that it can give you the best instructions and you can relieve the symptoms you have from spring allergies.
There are also home remedies for spring allergiesso that you can totally or partially relieve your symptoms. They are the following:
- Keep the doors and windows of your home closed to prevent pollen from entering the home.
- Keep the windows up if you travel by car.
- Between 5 and 10 in the morning, as well as between 7 and 10 p.m., avoid going outside because these are the hours of greatest pollination.
- Avoid drying clothes in the open air: pollen can soak into the clothes.
- Try not to go outside too much on days when pollen counts are high, especially on windy days.
- Avoid mowing or sitting on the grass.
- Wear a mask and sunglasses so you can cover your nose and mouth if you plan to stay outside for long periods of time.
Now that you know the causes and symptoms of spring allergies, we recommend these articles on How to avoid allergies in spring and Home remedies for pollen allergies.
This article is merely informative, at unCOMO we do not have the power to prescribe any medical treatment or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to go to a doctor if you have any type of condition or discomfort.
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