An Apple a Day
Breathe easy: how to handle hay fever, asthma and eczema
Professor Michael Rudenko, medical director of The London Allergy and Immunology Centre explains what hay fever, asthma and eczema are, how they’re linked and how best to treat them.
THE ORIGINS OF HAY FEVER – ALLERGIC RHINITIS AND CONJUNCTIVITIS
The first description of hay fever was made by Charles Harrison Blackley in 1873. By 1900, outbreaks of hay fever had reached epidemic levels. Hay fever is essentially a pollen allergy, and symptoms come in two main forms: allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis.
Allergic rhinitis is when the inside of the nose becomes inflamed in reaction to an allergen. The condition affects approximately 500 million people around the world. Patients from all countries, all ethnic groups, all socioeconomic conditions and all ages suffer from it. Allergic rhinitis tends to be more common in developed countries, but it is increasing in the lesser developed areas, too.