Hay fever is another name for an allergy of pollen. Pollen is most frequent in spring, early summer, and fall and is from weeds, grass, and trees. For those in the south it is especially troublesome as pollen counts can get well into the 3,000 range. Over 35 million people are said to have an allergy of pollen, or hay fever.
Symptoms of hay fever will include sneezing, coughing, runny nose or nasal congestion, itchy eyes, scratchy throat, itchy nose, watery eyes, red irritated eyes, or swollen eyes. As you can see, hay fever tends to only affect the eyes, nose and throat of a person that is susceptible to the allergy.
Treatment of hay fever typically includes blocking the allergen or by treating the symptoms of the allergy. Such treatment includes OTC (over the counter) allergy medications, prescription allergy medications, and allergy shots. OTC and prescription allergy medications will block the histamines that will signal an allergy and keep symptoms at bay. Allergy shots work the same way but in a more concentrated way. They contain portions of the allergy substance to build up the antibodies in the person. They can be done short term or long term, depending on the severity and the length of the person’s allergy season.