Gesundheit!

Tired of hearing that? According to Barbara A. Muller, MD, University of Iowa associate professor of clinical medicine, division of allergy-immunology, you are probably one of 36 million Americans who suffer from hay fever and fall allergies.

According to Muller, who has studied allergies for almost 10 years, hay fever is the fifth most prevalent chronic condition in the United States and is given as the reason for more than 10 million physician visits and two million missed days of school each year. Hay fever sufferers in the United States spend $3.5 billion annually for physician visits and for medications.

Hay fever is the most common allergy in the United States. There is no known cure and, short of moving to the South Pole, the first hard frost of the season is the only guaranteed relief you can expect. Muller said, that while the symptoms are miserable, fortunately seasonal allergies are generally not life threatening.

Your sneezing, wheezing, stuffy nose and itchy, watery eyes, result from your body's allergic reaction to molds and tree and plant pollen. An allergy is an abnormal reaction to an ordinarily harmless substance called an allergen.

The best way to fend off offending pollens is to avoid them. However, short of living in a plastic bubble, that is difficult. Here are some common-sense steps you can take to minimize the effects of the fall pollen invasion:

• Stay indoors in the morning when pollen counts are highest.
• Avoid dust, smoke, aerosol sprays and paint fumes.
• Keep windows and doors closed to prevent pollens or molds form drifting into your home. Use your air conditioner to keep the air inside your home cool, clean and dry.
• Machine dry your laundry instead of hanging it out to dry. (Pollens can stick to fabric.)
• Over-the-counter remedies offer varying degrees of relief from the symptoms of allergies. Antihistamines relieve runny noses while decongestants open clogged nasal passages. These non-prescription remedies may not always be strong enough to eliminate the symptoms and may often cause drowsiness.
• Visit University of Iowa Health Care's Allergy-Immunology Clinic in the Department of Internal Medicine to discuss your treatment options. Muller said there are prescription anti-allergy medications that are long acting and avoid the sedation associated with over-the-counter antihistamines.
• If your allergy symptoms last longer than two weeks, see your doctor to be sure you are taking the right steps to deal with hay fever, and to be sure that it is hay fever and not something else.

More than 25.7 million cases of hay fever are reported annually in the United States. Of these cases, 15.9 million affect people under the age of 45. More women than men suffer from hay fever. Each year, more than eight million doctor office visits are attributed to hay fever. (National Center for Health Statistics)

More information:

• www.aaaai.org (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology)
• www.aanma.org (Allergy and Asthmas Network, Mothers of Asthmatics Inc.)
• www.acaai.org (American College of Allergy, Asthmas and Immunology)

Listed above are several Web sites that offer additional information on this topic. University of Iowa Health Care does not sponsor or endorse these sites, or guarantee the accuracy of the information contained on these sites. These links are here for general information only, and should not be used for personal diagnosis or treatment. If you have any questions, please contact UI Health Access.

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