Watery, irritated eyes, sneezing, headaches… For many, spring means allergies. Discover 9 common signs of seasonal allergic rhinitis.
Today in France, 1 in 4 people have respiratory allergies (asthma, allergic rhinitis) and 1 in 3 people suffer from allergic rhinitis. One of the most common forms of allergic rhinitis is seasonal allergic rhinitis, also known as “hay fever” or pollinosis.
The allergen responsible for seasonal allergies? Pollens suspended in the air. The pollens responsible for allergic rhinitis mainly come from three families: tree pollens, grass pollens and herbaceous pollens, whose pollination periods vary depending on the species (from March to September).
Particularly disabling symptoms
The main allergenic pollens in France are grasses, birch and parietaria mainly in the northern part of France, cypress, thuja, juniper and other species of the same family, as well as olive, mainly in the southern part of France, alder, hornbeam, ash, paper mulberry, hazel, ragweed and mugwort.
Inhaling pollen can cause symptoms in people who are sensitive to it, which are particularly disabling for daily life. Pollinosis or hay fever is generally seasonal: it recurs every year around the same time. It is said intermittent when symptoms last less than four days per week or do not exceed four weeks per year and persistent when they persist for more than four days per week and more than four weeks per year.
Sources:
- French Federation of Allergology (FFA), Benoît Wallaert, Joëlle Birnbaum, The big book of allergies, Editions Eyrolles, 2014
- Marina Carrère d’Encausse Michel Cymes Catherine Neukirch, Hello Doctor Allergies, Editions Hachette Pratique, 2011
