Nasal Allergy & Hayfever

This is a very common condition, virtually all of us suffer to a degree with a runny, itchy nose, with blockage, post nasal drip and other catarrhal symptoms. There are many different forms of nose allergy, the commonest is hayfever. Allergy to house dust mite, and dust itself, is also common, this generally affects people at night, causing nocturnal nose blockage, dryness in the mouth, and sometimes precipitating snoring. Other common causes of allergy are asthma (essentially an allergic disease which often presents with nose problems), food allergy and allergy to animal fur.

Click to go to:

• Hay Fever
• Typical Pollen Allergens
• House Dust / House Mite Allergy
• Asthma
• Food Allergy
• Animal Fur Allergy
• Treatment of Nasal Allergy

Hay Fever
This is a condition that is caused by allergy to pollen, also known as seasonal allergic rhinitis. It is called hay fever because it is associated with being outdoors, particularly in the countryside, in the late spring and early summer, when the pollen count is at its highest. The "fever" element comes from the fact that the allergic response causes the release of inflammatory proteins, some of which are pyrogens - they make the body temperature rise. Hay fever can be a very unpleasant condition, with repeated sneezing and a constantly running nose being both embarrassing, socially unacceptable, and generally uncomfortable.

Where there is a profuse yellowish nasal discharge, often associated with sneezing and irritation, this is likely to be hay fever, particularly if it arises in the early spring, when there is a considerable amount of pollen around. Pollen contains high levels of antigen from plants, and since it is airborn, it means it is virtually impossible to avoid. An allergic reaction inevitably follows.... Some hay fever suffers have problems early in the season, with early blossoming trees, such as the cherry tree, others have problems later in the season, as other pollens are produced. The good thing is that once the plant that you are allergic to stops flowering, your hay fever will stop. Unfortunately, some plants flower for several weeks on end.

Typical Pollen Allergens
Late springtime pollens come from the grasses, i.e. timothy, orchard, red top, sweet vernal, Bermuda, Johnson, and some bluegrasses.

Pollens of trees such as cherry, maple, birch, poplar, beech, ash, oak, walnut, sycamore, cypress, hickory, pecan, cottonwood, and alder most often cause early springtime hay fever.

Colourful or fragrant flowering plants rarely cause allergy because their pollens are too heavy to be airborne.

House Dust / House Dust Mite Allergy
Sadly, we are surrounded at all times by tiny invisible creatures, such as ticks, mites and other arthropods. Happily most of these seem to interact with us in a neutral way - a symbiotic relationship, although what humans get out of it is unclear. However, on occasion, we can react to these creatures, and become allergic to them, thier droppings, or their environment. Because mites and their products are with us all the year round, allergy to them is called perennial allergic rhinitis, and this often causes problems at night, in our bedrooms, where there is little flow of air, the pillows duvets and carpets are great sources of dust, and where we spend more time than any other room.

Asthma
The lining of the nose and the lining of the lungs are essentialy the same. Hence those with asthma, which is often an allergic condition, often have nose problems, from simple intermittant obstruction, to total blockage, snoring and loss of sense of smell.

Food Allergy
This is a massive subject, and needs to be referenced separately, medical therapy is rarely effective in this condition.

Animal fur allergy
Obviously it is a big step blaming the family dog for your problems. This condition usually improves whilst away on holiday - and away from the animal in question. In order to placate the family, it is often useful to undergo skin prick allergy testing to truly confirm allergy to the animal species in question. Re-housing of fido is then a matter for negotiation with the family.

Treatment of nasal Allergy
The treatment of nasal allergy can be difficult, since identification of what the patient is allergic to is very hit and miss - there are literally millions of allergens - the things we are allergic to. Basic allergy tests (skin prick or blood tests) can help, but if you are allergic to dust or grass pollen, then you are stuck, since it is basically impossible to exclude these from your environment. Simple precautions in the bedroom can minimise dust allergy problems. Treatment is usually symptomatic, starting with an Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist consultation, full examination of the nose, including endoscopy, and a basic screen of allergy tests. Treatment may be with topical or systemic steroids, antihistamines and allergen avoidance. If these initial measures are unsuccessful, a variety of different medicines of the same generic type can be used until one agrees with the patient and reduces symptoms sufficiently. On occasion, a turbinate reduction surgical procedure can be useful in treating some of these symptoms. Antihistamine tablets or sprays, and steroid sprays often help with nasal allergies. The Doctors at The London Laser Clinic are skilled in the identification and treatment of nose allergy and hay fever. On occasion, it is felt prudent to administer a depot injection of steroid, in late march, so that hay fever over the next few months is continuously supressed. This depot injection of steroid is slowly released into the body, and so is effective for allergies which occur over a finite length of time, such as Hay Fever.

The turbinates are small bones found within the nose, they are coated with the nasal lining, which is the area that becomes swollen in allergy. Inferior turbinate reduction is a procedure that can be carried out using local anaesthetic solution soaked onto cotton wool, followed by laser vapourisation, which is painless, takes approximately 5 monutes per side (only one side is treated each time) and effective in reducing symptoms. However, turbinate reduction simply treats the symptom of blockage, not the underlying allergy - problems may return with time, and re-treatment after 2 years is quite common.

The London Laser Clinic has more information on the treatment of nasal allergy and blockage; click here to visit the relevant LLC page.