Hay Fever
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Explore overview, symptoms, causes, treatment, diagnosis, prevention, and FAQ articles for this condition.
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What is Hay Fever
Hay fever, also called allergic rhinitis, is an immune-mediated inflammatory condition in which the lining of the nose and often the eyes reacts to otherwise harmless airborne substances such as pollen, dust mite particles, mold spores, or animal dander. It mainly…
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Symptoms of Hay Fever
The symptoms of hay fever arise when the immune system reacts to harmless airborne particles as though they were dangerous. The most familiar symptoms are sneezing, nasal itching, a runny nose, blocked nasal passages, itchy or watery eyes, and irritation of…
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Causes of Hay Fever
Hay fever is caused by an allergic immune response to airborne substances that are harmless to most people but are treated by the body as threats in susceptible individuals. The condition develops through a sequence of sensitization, immunoglobulin E production, mast…
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Diagnosis of Hay Fever
Hay fever is usually diagnosed by combining the symptom pattern, exposure history, and physical examination with allergy testing when needed. In many cases, the condition can be strongly suspected because the symptoms are characteristic and recur in a predictable relationship to…
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Treatment for Hay Fever
Hay fever is treated by reducing allergen exposure, suppressing the allergic inflammatory response, relieving the symptoms produced by that response, and, in selected cases, retraining the immune system to become less reactive to the trigger itself. The main treatment approaches include…
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Prevention of Hay Fever
Hay fever cannot always be completely prevented because it depends on a combination of immune predisposition and environmental exposure, but its risk can often be reduced and its biological activity can often be limited. The condition develops when a sensitized immune…
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FAQ about Hay Fever
This FAQ explains the most common questions people ask about hay fever, including what it is, what causes it, what symptoms it produces, how it is diagnosed, how it is treated, and whether its risk can be reduced. Hay fever is…