Polluted air not only contributes to climate change and thus to the shifting of flowering seasons. It leads to an increase in allergic diseases in general and hay fever - allergy to pollen - in particular. The reason: coarse and ultra-fine particles as well as nitrogen oxides attach themselves to the pollen. A devastating combination. Because it can not only aggravate allergies, but also be their trigger.
Air pollutants burden the body & promote pollen allergies
Many air pollutants, including sulphur dioxide, particulates ozone, among others, have a stressful effect on the respiratory tract and the cardiovascular system and can increase allergy symptoms. Too dry and too hot air, but also volatile organic compounds (VOCs), dry out the mucous membranes, making them more susceptible to allergens.
In the mucous membranes, oxygen radicals are also released by polluted breathing air, whereby inflammation-promoting particles enter the body. Poor air quality also affects the eyes.
In order to reduce the discomfort caused by allergic rhinitis or hay fever, it is important for allergy sufferers not only to know about the allergic condition, but also to always be informed about the components of the air they breathe.
Definition of hay fever: Allergy to pollen
Hay fever is the commonly used name for an allergy to pollen, known as pollinosis. The trigger for hay fever is the male genetic material of plants, the pollen, which is spread in the air by insects or the wind during the flowering season. Pollen also enters the respiratory tract and the eyes from the air we breathe. For allergy sufferers, this contact can lead to an overreaction of the immune system and thus trigger hay fever every year.
Which plants trigger a pollen allergy?
Plants pollinated by insects are generally more tolerable. This is because their pollen is comparatively heavy and sticky. As a result, they are relatively rarely found in the air we breathe. Wind-pollinated plants, on the other hand, emit large amounts of pollen, which are much smaller and lighter. This makes them particularly capable of flight. As a result, they remain airborne for long periods of time and over greater distances. On windy, warm and dry days, the pollen load is at its highest - and thus the effects of hay fever are at their worst.
A look at the pollen calendar: How is pollen actually measured?
With the pollen count calendar, allergy sufferers can always find out about the current pollen load. But how do the experts find out how strong or weak the pollen count is and which pollen is currently whizzing through the air? Quite simple: with so-called pollen traps. With an electric device, air is sucked in via a motor, which is then guided past a drum with a plastic strip. Pollen sticks to this strip. The whole thing is then analysed under a microscope. In this way, you know when which pollen is in the air and in what concentration.
Which pollen flies when?
When and for how long a person suffers from hay fever depends not only on the weather but also on the geographical location. In our latitudes, the pollen of the first early-blossoming trees, such as alder, hazelnut and birch, is already spread by the wind from the end of January. Later, various grass and cereal species follow. Finally, herbs such as nettles, mugwort and plantain flower until autumn.
Allergies to pollen often develop in childhood. In some cases, however, a pollen allergy does not appear until adulthood. The severity of the reaction can vary from year to year and even remain silent over a period of time. Many sufferers react to several different plants. Thus, the period in which the symptoms occur can last for several months and, in the worst case, even from January to October.
If not diagnosed and treated appropriately, hay fever can develop into allergic asthma. This so-called "change of stage" applies to about 30 percent of hay fever patients within ten years.
Symptoms of hay fever, allergic rhinitis & pollen allergy
Like allergic asthma and neurodermatitis, hay fever also belongs to the so-called atopic diseases. The characteristic feature is that those affected have an increased risk of developing allergies due to a hereditary predisposition. The symptoms of hay fever as seasonal allergic rhinitis and perennial allergic rhinitis, which is triggered by house dust mites, are identical.
Generally, the allergens present in the air are inhaled and recognised by the body as supposed pollutants and fought against. This results in numerous symptoms:
- Irritation and hypersensitivity of the nose (up to and including sneezing fits).
- Runny nose (i.e. increased discharge of clear, watery nasal secretions).
- Itching in the nose, mouth, throat, eyes and ears.
- Burning and redness in the eye as well as increased tear production (conjunctivitis)
- Difficult or whistling breathing, dry cough
- Accompanying symptoms, such as: Loss of appetite, fatigue, daytime sleepiness, headache, head pressure, fever, general feeling of being ill.
- Sleep disorders, if applicable
Depending on the occurrence of the symptoms, a distinction is made between persistent and intermittent rhinitis, based on a recommendation by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The former means that symptoms occur over a longer period of at least four weeks and are sometimes noticeable over the entire year. These include house dust mite allergy, animal allergy and various occupational allergies triggered by inhaling chemical substances or specific dusts.
Intermittent rhinitis, on the other hand, either occurs intermittently or recurs at certain intervals. This mostly seasonal manifestation of allergic rhinitis is also colloquially known as hay fever or pollen allergy.
Allergic rhinitis due to pollen exposure: diagnosis & treatment
When diagnosing allergic rhinitis, it is particularly important to differentiate hay fever from other diseases. Similar symptoms can also have the following causes:
- Acute or chronic inflammation of the nasal mucous membranes triggered by viruses or bacteria → usually caused by influenza or a flu-like infection
- toxic-irritative rhinitis → rhinitis triggered by environmental pollutants that irritate the nasal mucosa, e.g. tobacco smoke, occupational pollutants
- Intolerance (non-allergic) to food or medicines or side effects of medicines.
- Rhinitis triggered by hormonal changes → e.g. due to hypothyroidism, during pregnancy or menopause.
- Internal diseases → e.g. vascular or circulatory diseases
- Structural triggers → for example, anatomical causes (e.g. curvature of the nasal septum, enlarged turbinate, polyps), tumours or foreign bodies.
If the corresponding specialist, usually the ear, nose and throat specialist, can rule out all these diseases, a prick test usually follows. In this test, allergens are applied to the arm and inserted directly into the skin through small pricks. If an allergy is present, it can be detected by a reaction at the respective site. In most cases, such a prick test is sufficient as a reliable allergy test. However, in some cases, such as unclear test results or for medical reasons, the doctor may additionally or alternatively prescribe a blood test.
Allergen abstinence as a treatment method
If the doctor diagnoses an allergy , the best of all treatments is so-called allergen avoidance, i.e. avoiding the triggering allergens. However, in the case of contact allergies, especially those whose allergens enter the body through the air, this treatment method is often difficult to apply.
Of course, after looking at the pollen calendar, it helps to keep the window closed at certain times of the day and to refrain from sports activities on warm and dry days. Regular cleaning of skin, hair and textiles and regular nasal showers can also provide a little relief.
For most hay fever patients, however, allergen abstinence is not a particularly promising therapy, as pollen is an inhalation allergen that is difficult to avoid. Therefore, in many cases, a medicinal treatment of the symptoms is offered, which is applied either locally (topically) or internally (systemically).
Cromones and anti-histamines, as well as decongestant, anti-inflammatory or moisturising nasal sprays and eye drops with anti-allergic active ingredients can be helpful.
A treatment method that has become quite promising is specific immunotherapy (SIT). Also known as hyposensitisation, this therapy usually lasts between one and three years. The treatment is effective for about 80 percent of pollen allergy sufferers.
The overreaction of the body to the respective allergens is to be reduced step by step by this treatment method. For this purpose, these allergens are controlled and administered to the body in increasing concentrations through tablets, drops or injections. This is intended to strengthen the tolerance of the immune system against the allergy triggers.
Monitor air quality - prevent pollen allergy
To reduce symptoms and prevent other allergic diseases besides hay fever, all treatment methods should be considered. As already described above, allergens often enter our airways as particulatesand can thus trigger pollen allergies. Too little humidity in the air you breathe can also lead to irritation of the mucous membranes and thus promote allergic reactions.
Air pollution also influences the air quality and thus also the effects of pollen on the organism. For example, nitrogen oxides such as nitrogen dioxide are recognised as pollutants by the body and trigger a defence reaction. Pollen settles on the nitrogen oxides or on particulate matter particles and thus enters our body, which then learns to react not only to the nitrogen oxides but also to the pollen. As a result, the body can either first develop an allergy or an existing allergy is exacerbated by the air pollutants. Therefore, it is important to check air components such as nitrogen dioxide or particulateswith the help of an air measuring device such as the air-Q. By monitoring, elevated readings and sources of pollution can be identified and eliminated. In addition, you can detect allergy-promoting indoor air and thus act more quickly to reduce flare-ups of your pollen allergy. Depending on your individual air quality, air purifiers or humidifiers can also help minimise the symptoms of your pollen allergy.
Tip: You can find out how to alleviate and avoid allergies in our separate article.
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