Your basket
There are no more items in your basket
Hay fever vs Coronavirus
March to September is our most loved months! We have the sun out, great weather (in parts) and it’s that time to get our legs and feet out to enjoy the warmer days. For many though, it’s a tough time with allergic reactions to pollen! Whilst some of us just have hay fever every spring and summer there are asthma sufferers who also must contend with hay fever. In fact, according to www.asthma.ie up to 80% of asthma sufferers have hay fever.
The allergic reaction happens when powder from pollen meets your mouth, nose, eyes and throat. During March to September, when its warm, humid and windy, the pollen count is at its highest. A higher pollen count triggers the symptoms in hay fever sufferers
If you have the following symptoms – you may be a hay fever sufferer.
- sneezing and coughing
- a runny or blocked nose
- itchy, red or watery eyes
Murine eye drops are a great product for reducing itchiness, redness and soreness. You can purchase online HERE.
- itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears
- loss of smell
- pain around your temples and forehead
- headache
- earache
- feeling tired
If you have asthma, you might also:
- have a tight feeling in your chest
- be short of breath
- wheeze and cough
Hay fever may last for weeks or months, unlike a cold, which usually goes away after 1 to 2 weeks.
How do these symptoms differ from Coronavirus?
The symptoms mentioned above actually sound similar if not the same as the symptoms we need to look out for with Covid – 19. So how do we tell the difference?
The two main symptoms of Covid-19 not included in the hay fever symptoms are a high temperature and a continuous cough. A continuous cough as outlined by the NHS means:
“Coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours”.
In addition to a high temperature and a continuous cough, The London Doctors Clinic outlines other symptoms of Covid-19 not part of hay fever symptoms below:
· Tiredness
· Aches and pains
· A sore throat
· Shortness of breath
· Some people have reported diarrhoea, nausea and a runny nose but this is rare
What should you do if you have hay fever?
There are several precautions you can take to prevent getting hay fever such as:
- put Vaseline around your nostrils to trap pollen
- wear wraparound sunglasses to stop pollen getting into your eyes
- shower and change your clothes after you've been outside to wash the pollen off
- stay indoors whenever possible
- keep windows and doors shut as much as possible
- vacuum often
- dust with a damp cloth
- buy a pollen filter for the air vents in your car
To ease your hay fever symptoms, do not:
- cut grass or walk on grass
- spend too much time outside
- keep fresh flowers in the house
- smoke or be around smoke – it makes your symptoms worse
- dry clothes outside – they can catch pollen
- let pets into the house if possible – they can carry pollen indoors
If you get hay fever every year or you have it particularly bad this year we recommend over the counter antihistamines.
Untreated hay fever can lead to getting clogged up and as a result lowering your immune system. With the current Covid-19 crisis, we need to keep ourselves fit and healthy and prevent lowering our immune system if possible.
To see our range of online hay fever treatments click HERE. We deliver throughout Ireland.
If you have any questions at all please don’t hesitate to send us a message via our contact form HERE
Sources:
www.hse.ie