Hay Fever: MedlinePlus

Hay Fever: MedlinePlus

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MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA  

• Allergic rhinitis
• Allergic rhinitis - self-care
• Allergic rhinitis - what to ask your doctor - adult
• Allergic rhinitis - what to ask your doctor - child
• Allergies, asthma, and pollen
• Allergy testing - skin

Related Health Topics

• Allergy
• Ear, Nose and Throat
• Immune System

National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Hay Fever is theNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Languages

• Chinese - Simplified (简体中文)
• Chinese - Traditional (繁體中文)
• Spanish (español)

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine  

• Allergy Diagnosis and Treatment
• Controlling Seasonal Allergies
• How to Control Your Seasonal Allergies
• Managing the Sneezing Season
• Pollen Primer
• Seasonal Allergies: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment
• Seasonal Allergy Research at NIH
• Seasonal Allergy Research at NIH

Disclaimers

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Summary

Each spring, summer, and fall, trees, weeds, and grasses release tiny pollen grains into the air. Some of the pollen ends up in your nose and throat. This can trigger a type of allergy called hay fever.

Symptoms can include

• Sneezing, often with a runny or clogged nose
• Coughing and postnasal drip
• Itching eyes, nose and throat
• Red and watery eyes
• Dark circles under the eyes

Your health care provider may diagnose hay fever based on a physical exam and your symptoms. Sometimes skin or blood tests are used. Taking medicines and using nasal sprays can relieve symptoms. You can also rinse out your nose, but be sure to use distilled or sterilized water with saline. Allergy shots can help make you less sensitive to pollen and provide long-term relief.

NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Start Here

• Allergic Rhinitis (American Academy of Family Physicians)Available in Spanish
• Allergic Rhinitis (Seasonal Allergies) (Beyond the Basics) (UpToDate)
• Allergies and Hay Fever (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)
• Hay Fever (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Pollen Allergy  (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) - PDF
• Rhinitis Overview (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology)Available in Spanish

Latest News

• Is It a Cold or An Allergy? (05/05/2015, HealthDay)
• Smog Plus Pollen May Mean Even More Sneezing (03/23/2015, HealthDay)
• Spring Allergies Coming into Bloom (03/16/2015, HealthDay)

Diagnosis/Symptoms

• Allergy Tests: When You Need Them and When You Don't (ABIM Foundation)
• Is It a Cold or an Allergy?  (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) - PDF - In English and SpanishAvailable in Spanish
• Sorting Out Seasonal Allergies (American Osteopathic Association)

Treatment

• Allergic Rhinitis: Antihistamines (American Academy of Family Physicians)Available in Spanish
• Hay Fever Medications (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology)
• Treating Allergies, Hay Fever, and Hives: Comparing Effectiveness, Safety, and Price (Consumers Union of U.S.) - PDF

Prevention/Screening

• Controlling Hay Fever Symptoms with Accurate Pollen Counts (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology)
• Pollen  (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences)
• Pollen Season Chart (InteliHealth, Harvard Medical School)

Alternative Therapy

• Is Rinsing Your Sinuses Safe? (Food and Drug Administration)Available in Spanish
• Saline Sinus Rinse Recipe (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology)Available in Spanish
• Time to Talk: 5 Things to Know about Complementary Health Approaches for Seasonal Allergy Relief  (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)

Specific Conditions

• Ragweed Allergy (Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America)

Related Issues

• Allergy Meds Could Affect Your Driving (Food and Drug Administration)Available in Spanish
• Allergy-Friendly Gardening (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology)
• Can Relocating Help Allergy Sufferers? (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology)
• Colds, Allergies and Sinusitis - How to Tell the Difference (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology) - PDF
• Gardening with Allergies (Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America)

Health Check Tools

• Allergic Rhinitis Quiz (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology)
• Pollen Quiz (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology)Available in Spanish

Tutorials

• Virtual Allergist (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology)

Videos

• If I Had - A Runny Nose  (Insidermedicine)

Anatomy/Physiology

• Sinus Anatomy (American Rhinologic Society)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal  (National Institutes of Health)

Research

• Prevalence of Allergies the Same, Regardless of Where You Live  (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences)
• Seasonal Allergies at a Glance: What the Science Says  (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)

Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Amaranthaceae pollens: review of an emerging allergy in the mediterranean...
• Article: Efficacy of daily intranasal fluticasone propionate on ocular symptoms associated...
• Article: Therapeutic targets for olive pollen allergy defined by gene markers...
• Hay Fever -- see more articles

Directories

• Find an Allergist/Immunologist (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology)

Organizations

• American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology 
• Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America 
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases 
• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Available in Spanish

Statistics

• FastStats: Allergies/Hay Fever (National Center for Health Statistics)
• NAB (National Allergy Bureau): Pollen Counts (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology)

Children

• Allergic Rhinitis (Hay Fever) (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)
• Seasonal Allergies (Hay Fever) (Nemours Foundation)Available in Spanish
• Seasonal Allergies in Children (American Academy of Pediatrics)Available in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Allergic rhinitis Available in Spanish
• Allergic rhinitis - self-care Available in Spanish
• Allergies, asthma, and pollen Available in Spanish
• Allergy testing - skin Available in Spanish