Hayfever

 

  
     
     

Rhinitis, the most common type of respiratory allergies, affects 10 to 25% of the world population1. The symptoms include nasal obstruction, nasal discharge, sneezing (often more than 20 times in sequence), itching in the nose, throat and eyes1,2.
            There are two types of rhinitis: perennial and seasonal3. The perennial is deflagrated by different environment allergens while the seasonal is associated to allergens in special seasons of the year.
            Hay Fever affects 15 to 20 % of the population in Britain  being a seasonal rhinitis triggered by pollens2,3,4.. Therefore, it is more frequent in the spring (march to may), when plants blossom. There are plants like perennial rye and timothy grass (very common in England) that release pollens in different seasons, in that case, symptom peak occurs during June and July2.
Pollens are extremely lightweight and disperse trough the air and when inhaled it deposits in  the mucous provoking inflammatory allergic reactions. The warm, sunny, dry, and windy days are the worst days for the allergic to pollen because pollen spores are more easily spread.
            Hay Fever is prevalent in North Hemisphere5 countries and it has been increasing over the past two decades6. That is in part due to the high emission levels of nitrogen dioxide, and ozone from vehicles in the industrialized countries. Exposure to air pollution and pollen exacerbates the symptoms of Hay Fever    

QUALITY OF LIFE

            Besides being uncomfortable rhinitis symptoms affect the quality of life of patients. Amid several symptoms the most common are:

  • Nose
    • Sneezing
    • Running nose
    • Blocked nose
    • Nose, throat, and deep ear itching
    • Headache due to sinusitis caused by swelling
  • Eyes
    • Watering
    • Redness
    • Itching
    • Gritty feeling
    • Swelling of the white portion
  • Chest
    • Wheezing or tightness feeling. In fact  those are asthma symptoms and should be treated as such

            In order to minimize symptoms and allergic crisis, medicines are necessary. Some medicines  are quite expensive and bring unpleasant side effects like making people sleepy and tired, and may also have a dangerous effect on driving and a poor concentration effect in school, at work and other activities.

            In 1997, the Health System in the United States of America spent about USD 7.9 billions just with rhinitis.           

Preventing allergic crisis is far better than taking medicines therefore allergic people should avoid whenever possible contact with pollens.

HOW TO AVOID  CONTACT WITH POLLENS?

Mainly in spring time, some preventive  measures should be taken:

  • Maintain  car windows and windows at home closed to avoid pollens from outside to get in.
  • Use glasses or sunglasses to partially avoid direct contact with eyes;
  • Avoid open areas with lawns mainly at dawn and at night (periods with more pollen dispersion);
  • Use pollen filters in cars;
  • Do not cut grass;
  • Always clean with an humid cloth furniture where pollens most commonly accumulate

AIRFREE ROLE

On top of those measures, in order to control allergies, it is essential that remaining pollen airborne particles be destroyed.
Airfree silently and efficiently incinerates airborne organic particles like pollens. Pollens are essentially made of protein and because of that, when submitted to high temperatures suffer a denaturizing process resulting in alteration of its original form and consequently being destroyed.     

See more about Airfree P80...