Hay fever and allergies: easing symptoms and knowing the danger signs

What causes allergies

The NHS lists common allergens as tree and grass pollen, house dust mites, foods such as peanuts, milk and eggs, animals such as cats and dogs, insect stings and certain medicines. Symptoms can start within minutes or after a few hours, and may include sneezing, a runny nose, red or watery eyes, coughing or wheezing, an itchy raised rash, stomach cramps or diarrhoea, and swelling of the eyes, lips or mouth.

Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen. It can cause sneezing and coughing, a runny or blocked nose, itchy red or watery eyes, an itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears, loss of smell, headache and tiredness. Allergic conjunctivitis makes the eyes red and watery, and is covered on our conjunctivitis page.

What you can do at home

• Put petroleum jelly around your nostrils to trap pollen, and wear wraparound sunglasses, a mask or a wide-brimmed hat outdoors.
• Shower and change your clothes after being outside, and do not dry clothes outdoors.
• Keep windows and doors shut as much as you can, vacuum regularly and dust with a damp cloth.
• Use a pollen filter in your car’s air vents if it has one.
• Avoid smoke, which makes symptoms worse.

A pharmacist can suggest antihistamine tablets, drops or nasal sprays, or a steroid nasal spray. Some antihistamines make you sleepy, so ask about non-drowsy ones if you need to drive or work.

When a video consultation suits it

See a doctor if your symptoms are getting worse, pharmacy medicines have not helped, or you think you or your child may have an allergy. Allergy symptoms suit a conversation by video, and the DHA telehealth standard lists allergic conditions among the common conditions for teleprescribing, where the doctor judges it suitable. A doctor may prescribe a steroid treatment for hay fever, or refer you for immunotherapy if other treatments do not work.

Before the call, note when your symptoms happen, where you are and what you were doing, whether they follow a food, a medicine or contact with animals, and what you have already tried.

When you need to be seen in person

Finding out exactly what you react to needs tests. The NHS describes skin prick tests, blood tests and a carefully supervised diet that introduces a suspected food in increasing amounts, sometimes at a specialist allergy clinic. Desensitisation (immunotherapy) should only be done by a medical professional. If you have had a severe reaction before, you should have an allergy plan from a specialist.

Signs that need 998

Call 998 if your lips, mouth, throat or tongue suddenly swell, you are breathing very fast or struggling to breathe, your throat feels tight or you cannot swallow, your skin, tongue or lips turn blue, grey or pale, you suddenly feel very confused, drowsy or dizzy, someone faints and cannot be woken, or a child is limp, floppy or not responding normally. Use an adrenaline auto-injector if you have one, then call 998 and say you think it is anaphylaxis. Lie down, raising your legs, and do not stand or walk even if you feel better.

Which doctor to see

A general practitioner or family medicine doctor can help with most hay fever and allergy symptoms, and a paediatrician with allergies in children. Doctors on medicAI work at independent facilities licensed by DHA in Dubai or DoH in Abu Dhabi, and those facilities are responsible for your care. medicAI is the platform you book through.