Hay fever: triggers and allergy determination.

There are many different forms and manifestations of allergies. While allergies to dust mites or animal dander occur year-round, those to pollen pose major challenges to the immune system during allergy season.

Grasses, wild herbs, trees and shrubs bloom at different times of the year. Since their individual flowering time depends on the respective geographical location and the weather, the period from the beginning of March to the end of September is generally referred to as the "allergy season". The pollen sent out to fertilize the plants is usually only a few micrometers in size and can penetrate deep into the respiratory tract. They spread via insects or with the wind. Their area of distribution therefore depends on the wind and weather conditions: it ranges from one's own garden to areas several hundred kilometers away.

Currently, 16% of the female and 13% of the male population of Germany suffers from the allergy to grass, herb or tree pollen known as hay fever.* This makes hay fever one of the most common allergic diseases in this country. As a rule, allergy symptoms occur directly after the allergen has come into contact with the immune system ("immediate type").

An allergy to grass, herb or tree pollen can be diagnosed by the doctor with the help of various tests. While in the prick test, allergy-triggering substances are dripped onto the patient's lightly scored skin to await the reaction, blood analysis involves determining the level of immunoglobulin E, an antibody formed in the course of the allergic reaction.

Depending on the severity, the individual allergy type is classified into a four-stage scheme. Most patients are affected by type 1 allergies, also known as the immediate type, because symptoms appear after only a few minutes.

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