From dogs to dust mites and pollen to latex, it is thought that 40 percent of us suffer from an allergy. But pinpointing the source can be just as aggravating as the condition itself.
Millions of us don’t have access to allergy specialists to get proper diagnosis and treatment, according to a report last week from the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Pathologists.
‘There’s a big misconception that if someone sneezes a lot they must have hay fever,’ says Dr Adrian Morris of the Surrey Allergy Clinic.
From dogs to dust mites and pollen to latex, it’s thought that 40 percent of us suffer from an allergy
‘But it could also be an allergy to, for example, house dust mites or cats. Cat allergens can be transferred to people’s clothing.
‘You can sit next to someone in the office who has a cat, but blame the sneezing on the pollen you encounter along the way, when it is nothing of the sort.
‘That is why it is so important to determine where and when an allergy occurs.
‘Although the treatment may be the same, avoiding the source is the most crucial part of tackling any allergy.’ If there is no appointment with a specialist, one way to check for allergies is to take a new test which is now available on the High Street.
This takes half an hour and involves a pin prick in the finger.
It is available from most good pharmacists and works by detecting antibodies that the body produces in response to a substance to which it is allergic. It is about 96 to 98 percent effective.
We asked ten people with typical hay fever symptoms to take the test to check for allergies to the 12 most common inhalant allergens: grass pollen, house dust mites, cat, nettle pollen, hazelnut pollen, birch pollen, latex, mugwort pollen, dog pollen and the fungi Aspergillus fumigatus, alternaria alternata and cladosporium herbarum.
Amazingly, some of those who thought they had hay fever for years showed no obvious signs of a grass or pollen allergy at all. Others discovered allergies they previously knew nothing about…
CATS AND DUST Mites
Event organizer Jenny Long, 23, from Leeds, is single.
SYMPTOMS: Since she was eighteen, Jenny had itchy eyes and a tingling throat in the summer and sneezing all year round.
During the summer, she takes antihistamines morning and evening and avoids sitting on lawns, which she thought caused her symptoms.
RESULTS: Jenny is allergic to dust mites and cats, but also to grass. She is also sensitive to latex.
RESPONSE: ‘I sneeze all year round and I now know it must be a dust mite allergy, but I thought it was year-long hay fever. Cat allergies make sense because I recently visited a friend who had a cat and my eyes started watering and I was sneezing profusely.
“Knowing what I’m allergic to will make life easier.”
NETTLES AND MOLD
Personal assistant Jenny Pearce, 26, is single and lives in Poole, Dorset.
SYMPTOMS: For the past four years she has had a persistent itchy throat, which her doctor says is hay fever. She also sneezes and gets an itchy nose.
Jenny takes anti-histamine pills year-round and thought she was allergic to grass and other pollens.
RUN RESULTS: Jenny did not have a strong allergy to any of the twelve airborne allergens.
She responded moderately to nettles and birch pollen, but also to the fungi alternaria Alternative and cladosporium herbarum, which often occur in houses with poor ventilation and in low, damp rooms. This is the most common cause of mold allergy. It peaks in late summer and fall. She did not have an allergy to grass.
RESPONSE: ‘It turns out that I have unnecessarily avoided grassy places for years. It appears that birch pollen is causing my symptoms.
“I’m disappointed because there are trees everywhere so there’s not much I can do about it.”
GRASS AND LATEX
David Wood, 28, single and living in Gloucester, is the digital media officer for the Meningitis Trust.
SYMPTOMS: Since the age of 11, David has suffered from sneezing, red, watery eyes and lethargy from May to August. For several years he would also have asthma-like symptoms. He takes antihistamines daily in the summer and avoids walking through meadows and areas with tall grass.
RESULTS: David is allergic to grass pollen. It is also sensitive to nettle pollen, hazelnut pollen, latex and the fungus alternaria alternata.
RESPONSE: ‘This was about as I expected. My symptoms have always been seasonal and got so much worse when I walked through a field where I was convinced I was allergic to grass.
‘The sensitivity to latex surprised me, because until five years ago I worked in the pathology department of a hospital and wore latex gloves every day. Maybe it comes as I get older.”
TREES AND APPLES
Anna Fox, 31, has her own cupcake company. She lives with her boyfriend Patrick Jones, 37, who has his own recruitment agency in Birmingham.
SYMPTOMS: Since the age of 20, from March to September, Anna has suffered from a stuffy runny nose, itchy eyes and nose.
She also gets a tickle in her throat when she eats apples and pears, but thought she was allergic to grass. She uses nasal sprays and antihistamines from the pharmacy, which help.
RESULTS: Anna is allergic to grass and birch pollen. It is also sensitive to house dust mites, hazelnut pollen, the fungi cladosporium herbarum and alternaria alternata.
RESPONSE: ‘My hay fever always came on earlier than others, which made me wonder if I still had an allergy.
‘However, I have now discovered that birch pollen is released from March onwards, which explains it. It also explains why my throat feels itchy when I eat apples, as an allergy to birch pollen can cause a cross-reaction with fruit.”
EVERYTHING
Rafi Mandelsohn, 26 years old, works in corporate affairs, is married and has a baby. He lives in Hendon, north-west London.
SYMPTOMS: Runny nose, sneezing and watery eyes. Been taking antihistamines all summer – with varying degrees of success.
RESULTS: Rafi is allergic to dust mites and grass pollen. He reacted moderately to cat, dog, hazelnut pollen, birch pollen and the fungus alternaria alternata.
RESPONSE: ‘I often wake up feeling congested, which I always thought was hay fever, but that’s probably due to my dust mite allergy. I have never had a cat or dog, but I notice that I sneeze when I visit people with pets. Now I can avoid cats and dogs and vacuum the house more to make sure it’s as dust-free as possible.’
GRASS AND MOLD
Public affairs consultant Claire Mclauchlin, 27, is married to Anthony, 27, a wooden flooring specialist. They live in Oldham, Manchester.
SYMPTOMS: Sneezing, nosebleeds, itchy ears and face and watery eyes. The symptoms started when Claire was 15 and peaked between June and August. In the summer she needs three antihistamines a day.
She once needed an injection of antihistamines in hospital when her throat started closing up during a holiday in a Welsh chalet. She thought she was allergic to grass and pollen.
RESULTS: Claire is allergic to grass pollen and the fungus alternaria alternata.
RESPONSE: ‘My complaints are so bad that I thought I had an allergy again. If for some reason I forget to take an antihistamine and go outside in the summer, I have to go back inside quickly.
‘My eyes immediately start to water. The mold allergy is interesting because when I recently visited a friend’s house, which was a bit damp, I started wheezing and had trouble breathing.
‘I’m about to move and was thinking about having my patio planted with grass, but I’m not going to do that now.’
DUST MITE
Sarazann Bhanga, 23, is a public relations manager. She is single and lives in Leamington Spa.
SYMPTOMS: Since the age of seventeen, Sarazann has had a severely itchy and stuffy nose and suffers from sneezing and watery eyes.
The symptoms are present all year round, but seem worse in the summer. Her GP diagnosed hay fever and prescribed antihistamines, which have little effect. She thought she might be allergic to different types of pollen.
RESULTS: Sarazann is not highly allergic to any of the 12 airborne allergens. She only reacted very slightly positively to house dust mites and grass pollen.
RESPONSE: ‘If you think about it, freshly cut grass has never really provoked a bad reaction. So maybe the dust mites are the problem.
‘My doctor has been prescribing me antihistamines for years, but has never tested me to see what I am allergic to.
‘I will now return to my doctor for further testing for food and other allergies.’
GRASS, MOLD, TREES
Full-time mother Cathy Acratopulo, 38, is married to Mike, 41, a banker. They have two children, Isabel, five, and Thomas, seven, and live in Barnes, south-west London.
SYMPTOMS: She has sneezed year-round since her mid-20s, and the symptoms were particularly severe from April to June.
Cathy also has a runny nose and painful watery eyes. She takes antihistamine tablets, nasal spray and eye drops. She thought she was allergic to dust mites.
RESULTS: Cathy is highly allergic to birch and grass pollen, with milder reactions to hazelnut pollen and the fungi cladosporium herbarum and alternaria alternata.
RESPONSE: ‘Strangely enough, I haven’t tested positive for dust mites, even though I start sneezing as soon as I wake up.
“Maybe the mold is to blame, even though I’m not aware there is mold around my house.
‘The birch pollen allergy makes sense because when I eat apples I get a red rash around my mouth and there is a known cross-reaction with fruit.’
…AND THE ‘COLD’ THAT WAS ACTUALLY HAY FEVER
Jenny Stringer is Acting Director of Leith’s School of Food and Wine. She is married to James, 38, who runs an insurance business and has two children, Thomas, five, and Ben, three. They live in Bromley, Kent.
SYMPTOMS: Itchy nose and throat, sneezing and watery eyes in spring and summer.
The symptoms occurred when Jenny was in her late twenties, but because they were not severe, she put it down to a summer cold and did not take anything for it.
RESULTS: Jenny is allergic to grass pollen and has a moderate reaction to nettle, hazelnut and birch pollen, as well as alternaria alternata.
This is found in soils, foods, compost and forest plants and is most common during warm conditions.
RESPONSE: ‘As a working mother I’ve never had time to think ‘maybe this isn’t hay fever’. I denied it even though the symptoms are uncomfortable.
‘My work consists of tasting the cooking skills of students. During exam period, my stuffy, itchy nose made it difficult to concentrate.
‘Since the test I have been using Beconase nasal spray and antihistamine tablets, which really work.’
The FastCheck inhalation allergy test costs approximately €50 at the pharmacy and €34.95 if you order it directly. Call 02476 377210 for dealers.