Hay fever is an allergy to pollens – the male reproductive parts of plants – from grasses and trees. When these come into contact with the tissue inside the nose, they trigger an immune reaction which can cause congestion, sneezing, itching, and a runny nose.
Between 15-18% of people in Australia are affected. The Australian Capital Territory and Western Australia have the highest rates of allergic rhinitis in Australia, while Queensland and New South Wales have the lowest.
The numbers may increase during the beginning of the season which is around the last week of September, told Dr Simon Haberle from ANU’s Canberra Pollen Monitoring Program to ABC.
Despite plenty of research, no-one really knows. It could be that something in the environment of those with a genetic predisposition to allergies that sets it off.
Alternatively, sufferers possibly experience very mild symptoms that they do not notice as children.
Another possibility is that it’s due to making a major life change like moving somewhere new. This can expose you to new substances that you may have already had an allergic reaction to, you just didn’t know it yet.
“It’s also possible that people who haven’t moved or encountered a new environment are just manifesting allergies they had when younger, but then went dormant for an oddly longer period of time (perhaps beyond the usual teenage years of hormonal flux) and were only reactivated by some mysterious trigger,” added Vice.
Some sort of shake-up to your immune system could be at play. An infection, illness, or extreme emotional event could result in a sudden allergy in adulthood, although again, the science on that is unclear.
Identifying the allergen/s causing the symptoms is an important part of managing hay fever. In some cases the cause may be obvious but in others your doctor will need to consider your medical history together with the results of allergy tests (skin prick tests or allergen specific IgE blood tests), which may require referral to a specialist.
Some medications may help relieve the symptoms of hay fever. Ask your GP or pharmacist for advice.
References
- Why do adults suddenly develop hay fever? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8763115.stm
- Why Do Some Adults Suddenly Develop Allergies? https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/why-do-some-adults-suddenly-develop-allergies/all/
- Allergic rhinitis (‘hay fever’) in Australia. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/chronic-respiratory-conditions/allergic-rhinitis-hay-fever-in-australia/contents/summary
- Hay fever in Australia http://www.myhayfever.com.au/causes-and-symptoms-of-hayfever/hayfever-in-australia
- Hay fever. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/hay-fever
- Pollen tracker upgrade gives more power to the people ahead of hay fever season. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-09/pollen-tracker-upgrade-ahead-of-hay-fever-season/10204644
