Many with hay fever do not seek medical advice

Almost one-third of people who have experienced multiple hay fever symptoms have not sought advice from a healthcare provider on how best to manage their allergies, a new survey from the Asthma Society of Ireland has shown.

Some 380,000 people in Ireland have asthma, however, 304,000 of these have both asthma and hay fever. This can have an impact on quality of life, not least because unmanaged hay fever or allergies can exacerbate asthma symptoms.

“While the symptoms are frustrating for many, unmanaged hay fever or allergies can cause asthma symptoms to heighten and escalate into an asthma attack. An asthma attack is a respiratory emergency that should be taken seriously by patients and carers. Allergies and hay fever with asthma can be fatal,” explained Dr Marcus Butler, a respiratory consultant at St Vincent's University Hospital and medical director of the Asthma Society.

Usual symptoms of hay fever include a runny nose with clear or pale-coloured mucus; sneezing; red, watery eyes; and itching around the nose, mouth or eyes. If untreated, hay fever can lead to nasal congestion, postnasal drip, coughing, lower respiratory problems, sore throat, headache, decreased sense of smell, ear or sinus infection, dark circles under the eyes and fatigue.

The society surveyed 655 people and found that 92% frequently experienced an urge to sneeze or sneezing fits, 91% frequently experienced a runny nose or rhinitis, 88% often experienced a stuffy or itchy nose, while 74% reported frequent itchy and burning eyes.

Some 79% also reported fatigue. This may be caused by certain antihistamines and not the allergy itself, the society noted.

The most commonly diagnosed allergies were to pollen (63%) and house dust mites (56%). Some 33% were allergic to pet or animal fur, while around 20% had confirmed allergies to certain foods.

Dr Butler described the findings as “concerning” for the asthma population in Ireland. He noted that 50% of those who were surveyed had suffered an asthma attack in the past year, while 14% had experienced one in the past four weeks.

“Good hay fever management is crucial in preventing an asthma emergency. We really encourage patients to kick start an improvement of their hay fever symptoms and better asthma control by flagging these symptoms with their GP.

“The results of this survey also indicate that there would be a real value to all GPs routinely asking the following question with an asthma patient – “and, what about the nose?” If patients and GPs don’t discuss these symptoms, then they can’t create a plan for managing them,” he said.

The Asthma Society’s hay fever awareness campaign is supported by ALK. A pollen tracker, which is updated daily, is available to view here.