My hayfever kind of just stopped. I think.

May 16, 2007 5:33 AM

I have shocking hayfever, last year it all but went away. Wondering what happens next

(I'm in the UK FYI). For 20 years, since the age of 11 I've had shockingly bad hayfever. It comes around now, and the symptoms are extreme. I've had every medicine under the sun and i've yet to notice anything that even takes the edge off.

To give you some idea, i can sneeze 2-300 times an hour, which causes a lot of pain eventually, and i end up with a bloody nose - inside and out (from blowing into tissues), eyes arent too bad, ahem mucus production far exceeds the volume of my body somehow, i've had days off work on he worst ones (its not pleasant to be around either) and I missed vital exams as a teenager as i couldnt see the paper let alone think about answering a question..

Anyway. last year, symptoms all but went. I cant remember having hayfever last year really. This year, I'm "due on" and so far no symptoms.

I wonder if it co-incides with me giving up smoking (the september before last summer - ie 10 months or so before last summer). Or possibly the fact that in the UK we dont have seasons anymore. Or at least the temperature varies by +/- 10deg C weekly. This week it appears to be autumn. Last week was summer. Who knows what next week will bring, no doubt the odds are good on winter. The next summer I think will be on a thursday i think they said on the news.

I was shocked to read today that 1/3 of the UK population suffers from hayfever. I never see anyone else with it. When i'm on the train no one seems to be permanently blowing their nose or 'dribbling' like me! In my office everyone seems completely unware the condition exists. I'm a fairly healthy, regularly exercising 34yr old male who detests anything related to sunlight/summer/green things normally so this not having hayfever is all rather new. Does anyone have an opinion as to whether this new found normal condition may last?

posted by daveyt to health & fitness (12 comments total)

Probably helps that you're not smoking--your mucous production is probably back toward normal limits now, so more of the allergens are getting cleared before they can activate mast cells that cause allergic reactions, but my own anecdotal experience is that some years I have relatively mild hayfever, and some years it's pretty bad, and not necessarily dependent on what the mold/pollen forecast is. (But definitely keep up the no smoking, for any other number of reasons!)
posted by gramcracker at 5:56 AM on May 16, 2007

Have you ever been tested? Do you know what you're allergic too?

I know that the severity of asthma can drop with age, and that's largely due to "lung remodelling" in response to continuous inflammatory events, but I don't know if similar processes can occur in the nose to hayfever.

You can be allergic to cigarette smoke, though it's more likely to act as a kind of enhanced irritant in sensitive people than a bona fide allergen.

The UK does have the highest incidence of allergy in the world (apparently), but the report is:

The latest estimates suggest that one-third of the total UK population - approximately 18 million people - will develop allergy at some time in their lives

This includes all the childhood allergies that count for a huge proportion (25% of kids in Australia, I think) but that they grow out of. This incidence of long-lasting allergies such as yours is on the rise, but it's not a 3rd of the population.

Sorry, not much help. My money's on the smoking though.
posted by kisch mokusch at 5:57 AM on May 16, 2007

It's not the local UK weather. I get hayfever to the extent that I develop a slight sniff which is barely bothersome, but it does mean I can guess when hayfever season is starting. It has been on this year, and conversations with people I know that do suffer from hayfever (I don't think you could say I 'suffer' from it much) confirm that it is happening to them as much as ever, although I think it's dropped off the last couple of weeks.

The reason you probably don't see that many people constantly sniffing and sneezing is that their medication is probably quite effective.
posted by edd at 6:03 AM on May 16, 2007

I too have bloody awful hay fever. It kicked off a bit last month when we had a spell of unseasonably nice weather, but seems to have quietened down a bit this month. It is possible to simply grow out of hay fever - I was just as bad when I was a kid and the doctor was dangling that particular carrot - maybe that's what's happened with you? If its not, I'd highly reccomend Flixonase, which is a steroidal spray you can now get w/o prescription. You've got to take it every day for it to be effective, but it generally does the job for me.
posted by prentiz at 6:20 AM on May 16, 2007

I used to get hayfever very badly every spring (not quite as bad as you, I don't think), and then one year it went away. Mine went away, I supposed, because I was in the UK that year not the US. I thought that somehow interrupted the "American pollen based" hayfever mechanism. However, I doubt that is a very scientific phsyiological answer.

Since then (about 10 years) I have had zero to very light symptoms. Hopefully, the same will be true for you. I have never questioned my good fortune, but I will be interested to see if anyone in this thread can give us a "why."
posted by MasonDixon at 6:21 AM on May 16, 2007

I had it for many years from childhood into my 30s, then it just stopped!
posted by kenchie at 6:29 AM on May 16, 2007

Mine's a similar story - bad hayfever when younger (eyes swell like jelly, mucous production off the scale, sneezing, etc.) but the last couple of years (late 20's into 30's) have been substantially less symptomatic, to the extent where I don't need to take anything.

I still get psychological symptoms whenever I smell fresh cut grass, or strong pollen (like hawthorn), but then surprise myself by not sneezing.

There does, however, seem to be some kind of correlation between the reduction of hayfever attacks, and the frequency and severity of colds that I get - which now although during "winter") seem to give very similar symptoms! :(
posted by Chunder at 6:51 AM on May 16, 2007

It is possible to "outgrow" your allergies. They aren't necessarily a life time affliction, nor are you safe from them now if you've never had them before.

via
Do allergies and asthma change over one's lifetime?
Most people with a genetic tendency will have allergies or asthma during childhood. Many people outgrow these allergies, probably during hormonal changes in the immune system during puberty. Some relapse in their twenties, thirties, and forties, when they have a second wave of allergies.

A number of patients won't show symptoms until their thirties, forties, fifties--even their seventies or eighties. We've had patients without allergies their whole lives until they underwent a severe medical illness, change in hormonal status, or chemotherapy or radiation for cancer.
posted by odi.et.amo at 6:52 AM on May 16, 2007

the same thing has happened to me, my fellow sneeze-head. my extreme house dust/pet dander allergies have slowly transformed into a super ultra cool spring hay fever. i envy you, but do be aware that your allergies may be hiding somewhere else now!
posted by yeahyeahyeahwhoo at 7:07 AM on May 16, 2007

I've had allergies all my life. I had asthma as an infant and child but, thankfully, it went away when I was about 11. But my sister got asthma as an adult (she smokes so that doesn't help) and my niece has it as well.

Allergies can come and go. I was highly allergic to cats and when I met my wife-to-be and found out she had a beloved feline, I thought our relationship was doomed. Guess what: all of a sudden I was no longer allergic to cats. Love triumphs and we will celebrate our 14 anniversary at the end of this month (with our cat!).
posted by Taken Outtacontext at 9:28 AM on May 16, 2007

first off, congrats on quitting smoking. Good for you (and your nose, etc.) It's probably a huge explanation for why things have improved.

Have you been to an allergist? It can help to know what specifically you're allergic to. I used to think I had hayfever, but a simple skin test got more specific regarding tree pollens etc. It might help, and they might be more qualified to help prevent anything in the future from starting up again. I too have heard that allergies can disappear over time, and especially if you've had allergy shots in your youth etc.

Enjoy your new found freedom from allergens - think of the rest of us Faucet Noses :(
posted by rmm at 9:42 AM on May 16, 2007

You can develop and un-develop allergies throughout your lifetime. Enjoy your freedom from sneezes!!
posted by clh at 11:22 AM on May 16, 2007