Measuring airborne grass allergen levels instead of pollen counts will be more beneficial for hay fever sufferers, new research has indicated.

The study shows that grass allergen levels are more consistently associated with hay fever symptoms than grass pollen counts. The research, and led by King’s College and Imperial College London, shows that measuring airborne allergen levels will help people with hay fever better control their symptoms.

It is common for people with hay fever to monitor peak pollen times to manage their symptoms. Usually, pollen grains are manually measured to find the daily pollen count. However, the study indicates that measuring allergen levels instead is more accurate. It says each pollen grain can release a different amount of allergen each day, and it is airborne allergens that are primarily responsible for causing hay fever symptoms. 

Authors collected daily symptom and medication scores from adult participants in an allergy clinical trial, as well as daily counts of asthma hospital admissions in London. They measured grass pollen counts but also sampled air for the grass pollen Phl p 5 grass allergen protein in the same location over the same period.

Senior author Prof Stephen Till, from King’s College London, said the study showed there is a superior way of measuring pollen allergens in the air than the traditional pollen count. “Monitoring grass allergen instead of grass pollen counts gives results that are more consistently linked to patients’ symptoms and could allow people with serious allergies to be better prepared during the pollen season.” The study is published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.