First Aid for Hay Fever

Causes
Hay fever is an allergic reaction to the pollen released by grass, trees and weeds. When the pollen grains come into contact with the cells that line your eyes, mouth, nose and throat they can cause irritation and trigger an allergic reaction. You can develop Hay fever at any age, though some people find that the symptoms become milder as they get older.
Signs and symptoms

• Sneezing and/or coughing.
• A runny or blocked up nose.
• Itchy eyes, sometimes red or watery.
• Irritation in the throat, mouth, nose or ears.
• Hay fever can make asthma attacks more common and sometimes more severe.
• Less commonly hay fever can cause the loss of your sense of smell, facial pain, headache, earache, tiredness and fatigue.

Treatment Self Care
Staying indoors and closing windows when the pollen count is high.
Showering/Bathing and changing your clothes if you have been outside.
Wearing wraparound sunglasses to stop pollen getting in your eyes.
Applying a very small amount of Vaseline to the nasal openings to trap the pollen.
Treatment over the counter medicine
There are a range of over the counter medicines available for hay fever but speak to your pharmacist before purchasing as some can make you very drowsy, cause side effects or interfere with medications that you are already using.
When to see your GP about hay fever
If the over the counter medicine isn’t working or is causing difficult side effects.
If your hay fever is making your asthma worse.
If you suspect the hay fever symptoms aren’t being triggered by pollen and that you may be having an allergic reaction to something else.