A leading Dublin respiratory consultant has issued an urgent warning to the public as we enter hay fever season.
Hay fever is an allergic reaction resulting from pollen coming into contact with your mouth, nose, eyes and throat. Prof Marcus Butler, a respiratory consultant at St Vincent's Hospital and Medical Director at the Asthma Society of Ireland, told Claire Byrne's RTE radio show today that the tree pollen is "really high" at the moment which will overlap next month with grass pollen.
Prof Butler explained: "It spans really from February to as early as October. The vast majority of people have mild symptoms like sneezing, a bit of a runny nose, runny eyes and perhaps itchiness.
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"And sometimes if there is co-existent asthma as we know there are 300,000 people in Ireland with both hay fever and asthma. It can set off symptoms of that condition as well with breathlessness, tightness in the chest and a cough, and even wheezing," he said.
Prof Butler said that there has been a "rebound in all respiratory presentations" post Covid, and they found that there was a huge drop-off in presentations to acute care with respiratory problems including allergy related problems.
Prof Butler said: "This was largely brought about by social distancing and masks, because all of these pollens are microscopic that set off the swelling reaction in the lining of the nose and the lining of the sinuses.
"The mask is a great way to minimise those symptoms, in fact if you're wearing a mask putting out the washing on the line it's a good idea if you have your FFP2 Covid mask lying around that's a good use of them. Or if you're allergic to your dog's dandruff or if you're allergic to to your mask it's a good idea to put on a tight fitting mask when pollen is a consequence," added Prof Butler.
Treatments for hay fever
When asked about over the counter treatments for hay fever, Prof Butler said that Zyrtex is a good proven treatment for children. He said: "Zyrtex are very good antihistamines, it comes in liquid form and is very good for kids. But I would say for listeners who have trouble despite the antihistamine to be careful not to overuse antihistamines at the same time, because it can sometimes compound the side affects."
Prof Butler recommended emphasis on hay fever treatments for the nasal passage, like Dymista which is a nose spray. He said: "A gentle nasal steroid is the single best intervention for sinus sufferers. And then when you don't get a good response from it, it often comes down to the drug not accessing the surfaces well enough so a good prep routine is important here.
"That is blowing the nose beforehand to cleanse the nostrils or getting over the counter saline based preparations that help clean and remove things that get in the way of that drug getting to work," added Prof Butler.
Prof Butler said if none of the treatments offered for hay fever help your symptoms, then it's time to speak to a specialist. He said that saline irrigation to the nose is best for those who suffer with "severe" hay fever symptoms, and that it is very effective.
What causes hay fever all year?
For people who get hay fever all year round, Prof Butler recommends taking Zyrtex. He explained: "It's not strictly a pollen all year causing it, it's typical it could be mite dust driven, or other indoor allergens like, a period home might have patches of damp, or just poor quality accommodation.
"Unfortunately for a lot of people having difficulty with the current housing crisis, that mould indoors can absolutely cause perennial rhinitis." Prof Butler also recommends allergen protection covers and pillowcases and duvets which is good for people with hay fever, as it stops dust mites from releasing breakdown products.
Handy tips to prevent and improve your hay fever
- Tumble dry bedcovers at 60 degrees including pillow cases, sheets, etc
- Freeze kids' cuddly toys
- Hoover your home regularly especially during Spring and Summer months
- Shower in the evening
Prof Butler explained: "For kids who have perennial rhinitis from dust mites, it's often cuddly toys that are harbouring the dust and dust mites and you can sneakily put their toy in the freezer once a week overnight and during the day have it thawed out so you can present it back to your child."
Prof Butler said that hoovering your floors regularly does help hay fever sufferers with dust allergies, and that it's best to avoid carpets indoors if you have perennial rhinitis. He also recommends people take a shower in the evening to prevent bringing allergens into the bedroom.
When asked about immunotherapy injections for a child suffering from a severe allergic reaction to grass, Prof Butler said that this treatment previously had a "bad name" for a while but that now there is a pill that can be taken which is covered by the medical card.
"Gradually it can diminish the effects of grass pollen triggered allergy particularly from the nasal side of things. It may also potentially help allergy related asthma on the milder end of the scale once there's co-existing nasal rhinitis problems.
"Nobody likes injections if there's a tablet option," added Prof Butler. He also explained that older anti-histamines like Cetrine may cause drowsiness, and Prof Butler recommends using a mild internasal steroid instead.
For more information and advice on hay fever visit www.hse.ie and for asthma visit asthma.ie
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