Study Links Extreme Heat to Increased Hay Fever in U.S. Adults

Maryland: Hay fever, or seasonal allergic rhinitis, affects 17.6 million adults in the United States and results in $11.2 billion in related medical expenses. A new multi-institutional study led by researchers from the University of Maryland's School of Public Health and College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences shows that exposure to more frequent “extreme heat events” increases the prevalence of hay fever among US adults.
“It is well established that extreme heat events are on the rise, and this trend is projected to continue in response to changing climate,” explained Amir Sapkota,PhD, associate professor in the School of Public Health’s Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health and senior author of the study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in Practice. “Our study is the first to provide evidence of how such increases in extreme heat events contribute to allergic diseases such as hay fever at a national level.”

Links between hay fever, asthma and prostate cancer inconclusive

NHS: "Men with hay fever are more likely to have prostate cancer – but those with asthma are more likely to survive it," the Daily Mirror reports. Those were the puzzling and largely inconclusive findings of a new study looking at these three conditions. Researchers looked at data involving around 50,000 middle-aged men and followed them up for 25 years, looking at whether asthma or hay fever at study start were associated with diagnoses of prostate cancer or fatal prostate cancer during follow-up. The findings weren't as conclusive as the headline suggests.

Probiotic yoghurts may help hay fever

NHS: "Is YOGURT the secret to easing hay fever? Probiotics can 'relieve sneezing and itchy eyes','' the Daily Mail reports. New research found initial, but not definitive, evidence that probiotics may offer some relief from this common allergic condition for some people. Hay fever affects around one in five people, causing frequent sneezing, a runny nose and itchy eyes. It happens when an allergic irritant sets off an immune response in the mucosa of the nasal passages, causing an allergic reaction. Most often, people are sensitive to seasonal allergens such as pollen, hence the name hay fever. However, some people can get symptoms all year round (this is known as allergic rhinitis). There has been a lot of interest in whether probiotics – "healthy" bacteria that live in the gut – can relieve symptoms.

Help for Hay Fever Sufferers: Experts Outline Best Practices for Treating Fifth Most Common Disease

Johns Hopkins University. US: About one in five Americans suffers from allergic rhinitis, commonly called “hay fever,” the fifth most common disease in the U.S., with health care costs of $2 billion to $5 billion per year. An expert panel’s new guideline recommends state-of-the-science treatments, including topical steroids for most patients and second-generation antihistamines for those whose main symptoms are sneezing and itching. Sublingual immunotherapy is the newest recommended treatment. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2014, it may help patients become symptom-free for years, but it is slow to take effect and has some risks.

Media dementia scare over hay fever and sleep drugs

NHS. UK: "Hay fever tablets raise risk of Alzheimer's," is the main front page news in the Daily Mirror. The Guardian mentions popular brand names such as Nytol, Benadryl, Ditropan and Piriton among the pills studied.
But before you clear out your bathroom medicine cabinet, you might want to consider the facts behind the (somewhat misleading) headlines.

VERAMYST Nasal spray

VERAMYST ® (fluticasone furoate) Nasal Spray Initial U.S. Approval: 2007

• INDICATIONS AND USAGE

VERAMYST Nasal Spray is a corticosteroid indicated for treatment of symptoms of seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis in adults and children ≥ 2 years.

Hay fever

Many children and adults are affected by hay fever in the spring and summer months, when plants grow and bloom. Hay fever is caused by higher amounts of pollen in the air. A lot of people who have allergies and asthma have more asthma attacks around this time of year too.
Some people have allergy symptoms such as sneezing and a stuffy nose all year round. This might be caused by an allergy against things like animal fur, mold or dust mites.
If someone has an allergic reaction to substances such as pollen or animal fur that affects their upper respiratory tract (upper airways), it is called “allergic rhinitis."