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Hay fever involves neither hay nor fever


Published: March 28, 2008 at 5:26 PM
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ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill., March 28 (UPI) -- Hay fever, with the stuffy nose, watery and itchy eyes, sneezing, wheezing and coughing it triggers, has nothing to do with hay or fever, U.S. allergists say.

"There are dozens of substances that potentially can cause trouble in those of us who are susceptible to allergies, but trees are usually the first on the scene during spring allergy season," Dr. Jay M. Portnoy, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology said in a statement.

"Rain can provide some initial relief by reducing tree pollen counts, but it also can spur the growth of grass and weeds, producing more pollen."

The five most common allergens are: trees, grasses, weeds, molds and dust mites.

Trees produce pollen, which causes most allergies. Grasses, which usually come along to stir up allergy symptoms after trees are through pollinating, contribute typically from late spring to early summer.

Weeds are guilty of causing most of the allergy misery in the late summer and early fall.

Molds, which send tiny spores into the air, and dust mites, which multiply easily in warm, humid places and carpets, upholstered furniture, bedding, clothes, soft toys and the fur of pets, also are major allergens.

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