If you're found yourself suffering from hay fever this spring, you're one of the staggering 44% of adults in the UK who has the most common chronic disease in Europe.
Allergies affect more than 150 million Europeans, with up to 20% of sufferers living with a severe and debilitating form of the condition. It's predicted that by by 2025, half of Europe's entire population will be affected by some form of allergy, according to Allergy UK - and currently the UK has some of the highest allergy rates in the world, costing the NHS an estimated £900 million a year.
Some of the most common allergens include tree and grass pollen (hay fever), foods like peanuts, milk and eggs, house dust mites, animal fur, insect stings from the likes of bees and wasps, and certain medicines. The symptoms of an allergy can range from mild to very serious, with almost a third of allergy sufferers having had to change their lifestyle to reduce the impact, so it's important to be able to recognise the key warning signs.
