Por que algumas pessoas desenvolvem febre do feno de repente?

Por que desenvolvi febre do feno de repente?

It's a common myth that rinite alérgica is something that always develops in childhood. Around 1 in 5 people with this condition develop hay fever symptoms for the first time when they're over 20. So what might cause us to develop hay fever and como podemos gerenciar nossos sintomas?

The chance of developing an allergic reaction is in your genes. Around 1 in 3 adults in the Western world are thought to be potentially susceptible to developing an allergy. However, this is only a susceptibility - many people born with these tendencies will never go on to develop active symptoms.

Dr Runa Ali, consultant physician in Allergy and Asthma in London, says: "Most people only carry antibodies to viruses and bacteria. But 1 in 3 people also carry antibodies to common things such as pollen or peanuts. However, of this number, only one half will go on to develop real-life symptoms."

Quais são os desencadeantes de alergias?

We know that some people are susceptible to alergias such as hay fever in later life. However, why some of us go on to develop an active allergy is not yet fully understood.

Ali explains that theories about what might shake up your immune system include having a severe infection such as pneumonia, being exposed to pollution, or going through hormonal changes.

"However, even if we identified the people who were susceptible, it wouldn't give us any warning about who will end up being allergic and who wouldn't," she adds. "In fact, if you knew you could react to a certain allergen, you might avoid it - this can be counter-productive, as exposing yourself may keep you tolerant."

This is completely different for people with a proven allergy, especially severe ones such as anafilaxia, where total avoidance of any exposure to the allergen is important.

The important thing is to remember that an allergy - such as hay fever - may develop at any time. If you start experiencing symptoms of hay fever or another allergy, make sure you speak with your pharmacist or doctor for advice.

Quais são os sintomas da febre do feno?

However, people who don't realise they can develop hay fever as an adult might assume they have um resfriado - and without the right remedies or approach, may be dealing with the symptoms for several weeks unnecessarily.

This could also make things worse. People whose symptoms are drawn out may also go on to develop secondary symptoms such as tiredness, irritability, dores de cabeça, and low mood.

Por outro lado, algumas pessoas diagnosticadas com febre do feno podem descartar outros sintomas que estão experimentando, assumindo que também estão relacionados à alergia. No entanto, esse nem sempre é o caso, e quaisquer sintomas novos ou incomuns devem ser tratados com atenção individual.

"É importante lembrar que os sintomas típicos de febre do feno são muito leves", explica Ali. "As pessoas também precisam lembrar que os sintomas de febre do feno são principalmente relacionados às vias respiratórias e muitas vezes não há sintomas estranhos associados."

Can you prevent hay fever?

Não há como prevenir a febre do feno ou outra alergia se você nasceu com uma suscetibilidade. No entanto, existem muitos remédios que aliviarão seus sintomas.

If you think you may be dealing with hay fever, there are both over the counter and prescribed medicines that can soothe your symptoms.

If you find that over the counter measures are not helping, book in with your doctor to check whether you have hay fever, or to see if something else is going on such as sinusitis.

Como podemos nos proteger contra a febre do feno?

As well as taking any prescribed or recommended medicine, there are other things you can do to reduce your chance of symptoms.

Ali advises that the pollen count is often higher at night, so if you suffer from hay fever you should try to sleep with the windows closed.

"When you drive, it's also helpful to use the air conditioning rather than opening the windows," she says. "Taking holidays by the sea where the grass pollen count is low is a good idea, as is avoiding overly grassy areas when possible.

Finally, wearing glasses or sunglasses can provide some protection for your eyes."

Embora você não possa controlar se desenvolverá febre do feno, ao saber que a condição pode surgir em qualquer idade, você tem mais chances de procurar a ajuda certa a tempo da temporada.

Taking medicine and sensible precautions should mean that you can get outside and enjoy the warmer weather.