Hay fever: the 'misery' season

Diagnosis and treatment
Parents of a child with symptoms often make the diagnosis, but treatments - because there are so many of them - can be more difficult to choose. It is very important to use any purchased or prescribed treatment efficiently, because uncontrolled allergies can put your child at risk of getting a secondary sinus and/or ear infection.

Seasonal allergies will usually respond well to treatment if certain rules are followed:

• There must be frequent (often four times a day) dosages for some agents.
• They must be used before your child's allergy season begins.
• They must be continued every day throughout the season, especially when improvement is shown.

Forms of treatment
Antihistamines The newer, non-sedating ones have been a great advance in this form of treatment in recent years - especially as children face examinations at school in the height of the hay fever season. Many of the newer ones are used as a once-daily dosage.

Topical (locally applied) antihistamines These may be in the form of aerosol sprays or pump-action sprays (the latter is often the best form for children) and are particularly effective in producing rapid relief of itching, sneezing and nasal discharge. They do not have any effect on nasal blocking.

Special 'anti-allergens' These are chemicals usually administered as nose drops or as a nasal spray and are particularly effective in children - especially when used three times a day. Eye drops are also available.

Topical (locally applied) steroids The use of intranasal topical steroid nasal sprays has been a significant advance in the treatment of hay fever.

Decongestant sprays and drops These should only be used with caution and for short periods because overuse can cause worsening problems. Always seek advice first.

Desensitisation or immunotherapy This is a type of immunisation where a doctor injects a tiny amount of the things that cause the allergies. This type of treatment lost favour in the 1980s in the UK, when the Committee on Safety of Medicines drew attention to serious reactions associated with the treatment. It is, however, very effective - and the position of immunotherapy is now being re-evaluated.

Hay fever and diet
One of the most recent theories suggests that what you eat can significantly affect hay fever. A spokesman for the Research Council for Complementary Medicine has apparently found that in nearly 40 years of practice, diet has played a very important role in the management of hay fever. It has also been noted that hay fever is on the increase in cities.