With the warm Summer coming, the rate of hay fever sufferers sets to go through the roof. Please find below general information regarding hay fever. Hay fever symptoms vary in severity and may be worse some years than others, depending on the weather conditions and the pollen count. The time of year your symptoms start depends on the types of pollenyou're allergic to. The symptoms of hay fever include: frequent sneezing runny or blocked nose itchy, red or watery eyes (also known as allergicconjunctivitis) an itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears cough, caused bypostnasal drip (mucus dripping down the throat from the back of the nose) Less commonly, you may experience: the loss of your sense of smell facial pain (caused by blocked sinuses) headaches earache tiredness and fatigue While symptoms of hay fever may be mild, they can interfere with your sleep and your daily activities at school or work. Hay fever and asthma If you haveasthma, your asthma symptoms may get worse when you have hay fever. Sometimes, asthma symptoms only occur when you have hay fever.These symptoms include: tight chest shortness of breath coughing wheezing Pollen count Hay fever symptoms are likely to be worse if the pollen count is high. The pollen count is the number of grains of pollen in one cubic metre of air. Air samples are collected in traps set on buildings two or three storeys high. Taking samples from this height gives a better indication of the pollen in the air. Traps on the ground would only collect pollen from nearby trees and plants. The air is sucked into the trap and the grains of pollen are collected on either sticky tape or microscope slides (glass plates). The pollen is then counted. Samples arenormally taken every two hours, and usually the results are averagedover a 24-hour period. The pollen forecast is usually given as: low: fewer than 30 grains of pollen in every cubic metre of air moderate: 30-49 grains of pollen in every cubic metre of air high: 50-149 grains of pollen in every cubic metre of air very high: 150 or more grains of pollen in every cubic metre of air Hay fever symptoms usually begin when the pollen count is over 50. The pollen count is usually given as part of the weather forecast during the spring and summer months. When to seek medical advice Most cases of hay fever can be treated using over-the-counter medication. A pharmacist can advise ontreatments for you or your children. You would normally only need to see your GP if: you can't control your symptoms with over-the-counter medications oryou are having troublesome side effects caused by the medication you are experiencing persistentcomplications of hay fever, such as worsening of asthma or repeated episodes ofsinusitis the pattern of your symptoms is unusual; such as occurring during the winter or only at your workplace – it is likely that another substance other than pollen is responsible and further testing will be required to confirm this. You can find common treatments for hay fever at our online shop at www.ancora-healthcare.co.uk