Hay Fever

Hay fever, also known as seasonal allergic rhinitis, is a very common condition that affects 20% of people in the UK. It is caused by an allergy to airborne substances such as grass or hay pollens, which affects the nose, sinus, throat and eyes. It usually occurs during the spring and summer months May to July, when grass and flowers are in pollen, making these the most common cause of hay fever. During spring, from March to May, pollens from trees are the most common cause of hay fever. Some people do get hay fever into the autumn months. However this is rare and is usually caused by weeds such as nettles and docks, late flowering plants, and mould spores.

The symptoms of Hay fever can be similar to a cold, and include a runny nose, watery eyes and repeated sneezing attacks. As with all allergies, the symptoms happen as a result of your immune system (the body's defence system) overreacting to a normally harmless substance in this case, pollen. While a player is more likely to get hay fever if there is a history of allergies in your family, particularly asthma or eczema. Hay fever usually begins in the early teens and peaks in the twenties. In the UK, most people with hay fever are allergic to grass pollen.

In general, a player may experience the following symptoms of hay fever:

• Frequent sneezing
• Runny or blocked nose
• An itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears
• Itchy or watery eyes

In more severe cases  a player may experience:

• Loss of smell,
• Sweats and headaches.
• Face pain

Players with hay fever and Asthma may find that symptoms, such as wheezing and breathlessness may get worse when you have hay fever as well.

Pollen count

A coach has to appreciate that Hay fever symptoms are likely to be worse if the pollen count is high. Pollen is released early in the day and may increase as the days get warmer and the pollen count is therefore highest in the early evening. As with most allergies, the best way to control them is by avoiding the trigger substance. However, players want to train and play so it would be very difficult to avoid pollen, particularly during the summer months.

Treatment

There are a range of products available to treat the symptoms of hay fever. The types of hay fever treatment available include; tablets, nasal sprays, eye drops and creams:

• Antihistamine tablets or nasal sprays. There are two types of antihistamine - those that cause drowsiness and those that do not. Coaches need to be aware of the type being used. Antihistamines are usually effective at treating itching, sneezing and watery eyes, but antihistamine nasal sprays may not help if your nose is blocked.
• Steroid nasal sprays and drops which relieve nasal symptoms, including sneezing and congestion as well as itchy, watery eyes.
• Eye drops, these ease itching and swelling.
• A cream that blocks pollen has recently been developed and research is currently being undertaken.

Coaches must appreciate that it is very difficult to completely avoid pollen, but players should be able to ease the severity of hay fever symptoms by taking some sensible precautions. The pollen count is often given with TV, radio, internet, or newspaper weather forecasts, if possible try to avoid playing or training after cutting grass and if players have they must remember to shower after this activity and change their clothes to get rid of the pollen on them.