Hay fever - a classic allergic disease with the seasonal nature of the respiratory tract lesions, eye, skin, nervous and digestive systems, and other internal organs.
The disease is widespread. Women predominate among patients with hay fever. The largest number of patients between the ages of 25 to 45 years.
Causes
The cause of pollen allergy is pollen (of the male sex cells). Identified three main groups of allergenic plants:
- trees;
- grasses;
- Asteraceae and Chenopodiaceae.
The most aggressive allergens (having high allergenic activity) include meadow (weed), grass, mugwort and ragweed especially.
There are three main periods of pollination of plants and, accordingly, the three periods of acute hay fever.
- Spring - mid-April to the end of May; associated with flowering trees (hazel, birch, elm, maple, alder, ash, elm, oak, sycamore).
- Summer - from early June to the end of July; associated with blooming and cultured meadow grass (timothy, fescue, orchard, meadow grass, foxtail, quack grass, corn, rye).
- Summer and autumn - is associated with flowering sage, quinoa, ambrosia.
Calendar of flowering trees and grasses of Central Russia
- Alder, hazel, willow, elm - April 15-30
- Aspen, poplar - April 15-30
- Birch, maple - 1-9 May
- Oak, pine - June 22 May to 5
- Dandelion, fire, foxtail - June 5-June 26
- Lipa - July 20-June 5
- Timothy, bluegrass, fescue, orchard, wheatgrass - July 5-25
- Mugwort, ragweed, quinoa - September 15 Jul-15.
manifestations of hay fever
Manifestations of hay fever characterized by strong seasonality and the distinct influence of weather on the patient's condition. Intensity of symptoms of the disease determined by the intensity of flowering.
The most typical manifestation of hay fever - the defeat of both mucous membranes of eyes and upper respiratory tract.
Characterized by itching and burning sensation in the eye, foreign body sensation in eyes, lacrimation, photophobia, conjunctival redness, swelling of the eyelids, sclera vasodilation. Usually affects both eyes.
Simultaneously observed strong itching of nasopharynx, paroxysmal sneezing, excessive nasal secretion selection. Often joins broncho-spastic syndrome (pollen bronchial asthma). Often it occurs in the form of skin lesions of atopic dermatitis. Possible lesions of the urogenital tract (vulvity, cystitis), Nervous system (arahnoentsefality, Meniere's syndrome, Epileptic seizures).
There may be a so-called pollen intoxication - in the form of weakness, fatigue, drowsiness, insomnia or conversely, expressed sweating, headache, fever.
About 20% of patients suffering from hay fever, noted in the season dusting the plants cause significant headaches, severe weakness, sweating, sleep disorders such as insomnia or sleepiness, irritability and tearfulness, chills, increased body temperature, increased fatigue. Blood pressure numbers in these patients on different days vary from 80/60 to 150/90 mm Hg. Art.
Diagnostics
- Allergic history;
- Skin tests to allergens;
- Provocative tests to allergens;
- Laboratory diagnosis (definition of specific immunoglobulin E).
hay fever treatment
- Removal of the cause-significant allergen (moving to another geographical climatic zone).
- Drug therapy during exacerbations aims to eliminate the manifestations of allergic inflammation. Preparations: cetirizine, ebastine, loratadine, acrivastine, fexofenadine. High efficiency in the treatment of pollinosis possess local forms of antihistamines: azelastine and levocabastine. This group provides a very rapid onset of therapeutic action (10-15 minutes) and fairly long duration (10-12 hours).
- In severe pollinosis, as well as with the ineffectiveness of antihistamines are shown hormonal agents. Beclomethasone used drugs, fluticasone, mometasone, triamcinolone in the form of nasal sprays.
- Carrying out preventive therapy helps to prevent exacerbation of the disease. Use cromoglicic acid, nedocromil.
Specific immunotherapy hay fever - the most important and effective method of treatment. It aims to decrease the body's sensitivity to allergens. This is the only method to achieve long-term and sustained disease remission and preventing the weighting process. In carrying out immunotherapy patient injections of increasing amounts of the allergen, resulting in a decrease in expression of specific hypersensitivity.
