Pollen
Some plants, including ragweed, grasses, and trees, make a fine powder called pollen that’s light enough to travel through the air. This is how these plants grow and reproduce themselves. This is what causes the allergic reaction know as hay fever
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Pollen counts
Hay fever symptoms usually appear when the pollen count, which is a measure of the number of grains of pollen in one cubic metre of air, exceeds 50.
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The weather conditions affect how much pollen is released and spread around. On humid and windy days, pollen spreads easily but on rainy days, pollen can be cleared from the air. On sunny days, the pollen count is highest in the early evening and that's when you are most likely to suffer from hay fever symptoms.
Want to consult a doctor?
We have teamed up with www.allergy-ireland.ie, to help you through your hayfever.
What are the different types of pollen allergies?
There are hundreds of plant species that release pollen into the air and trigger allergic reactions.
Here are some of the more common culprits:
Birch pollen allergy
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Birch pollen is one of the most common airborne allergens during the spring. As the trees bloom, they release tiny grains of pollen that are scattered by the wind.
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A single birch tree can produce up to 5 million pollen grains, with many traveling distances of up to 100 yards from the parent tree.
Oak pollen allergy
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Like birch trees, oak trees send pollen into the air during the spring.
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While oak pollen is considered to be mildly allergenic compared to the pollen of other trees, it stays in the air for longer periods of time. This can cause severe allergic reactions in some people with pollen allergies.
Grass pollen allergy
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Grass pollen is the primary trigger of pollen allergies during the summer months. It causes some of the most severe and difficult-to-treat symptoms.
Ragweed pollen allergy
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Ragweed plants are the main culprits of allergies among weed pollens. They’re the most active between the late spring and fall months.
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Depending on the location, however, ragweed may begin spreading its pollen as early as the last week of July and continue into the middle of October. Its wind-driven pollen can travel hundreds of miles and survive through a mild winter.
Allergy testing
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Allergy testing, also known as skin, prick or blood testing, is a method for determining what substances a person is allergic.
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Skin allergy testing is the most common. A very small amount of certain allergens is put into your skin by making a small indentation or “prick” on the surface of your skin. A skin allergy test determines specific allergins based on skin reactions.
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If you have allergies, just a little swelling will occur where the allergen(s) which you are allergic to was introduced.
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For instance, if you are allergic to ragweed pollen but not to cats, only the ragweed allergen will cause a little swelling or itching. The spot where the cat allergen was applied will remain normal.
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Blood tests are generally used when skin tests might be unsafe or won’t work.
