[alex27]

Hello,

I get bad hayfever in the spring/summer months. I was wondering if other people who have moved to Australia found that their symptoms improved or got worse?

[fran]

It very much depends on what exactly the allergy is whether you will be better or worse. My son suffered quite badly in the UK but fortunately his symptoms are a lot less here. I think that he may have had an allergy with dust mites rather than pollen though.

As my son's a lot better now I’ve never had an allergy test done though that is a good option if symptoms persist.

Melbourne is bad for grass pollen as it blows in from the North and the Spring winds blow it into the city..

Weatherzone produce a pollen index to help you plan ahead.

http://www.weatherzone.com.au/pollen-index/vic/melbourne/melbourne

[quincy]

I agree with Fran that it depends on each individual person. Some people will move here and suffer allergies who have never suffered them before and the opposite will be true for others.

Fortunately, I haven't suffered from hayfever much here at all. I used to suffer quite badly in the UK and keep expecting it to start here but so far so good.:)

[austin]

I've found it far worse in Brisbane than in England. I also find I can get similar symptoms to hayfever, runny nose, itchy eyes and sore throat in the winter months as well.

[jimjams]

From the BBC today

Sneezing, while not exactly a ritual, looks set to become a summer staple in coming years and the culprit is not swine flu, but hayfever. Ten years ago, one in six people in the UK had hayfever - today the figure is one in four. And the change reflects a trend that some reports suggest could lead to a rate greater than one in two by 2060.

"The rise has been so fast," says Dr Glenis Scadding, president of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

While the exact reason behind the seasonal rheumy eyes and runny noses isn't proven, experts do offer some theories. One possible reason? We've become too hygienic and keep our living and work spaces too clean.

Sometimes a little bacteria can go a long way. People who shared a bathroom as children, for instance, are less likely to have allergies, says Dr Scadding. Other explanations for the increase in hayfever include climate changes and diet shifts over the years.

"Hayfever was almost unknown in the 18th Century and even in the 19th," Dr Scadding says. "Now it has spread to become very common."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8161142.stm

[Thongs of Praise]

Food for thought there jimjams. Asthma also seems to be rising. I wonder if the two are related?

[jimjams]

Yes, it's possible the two are linked.

The full impact of hay fever is often downplayed but the reality is that hay fever sufferers are more likely to develop asthma than those who don't suffer from hay fever. This likelihood also increases if hay fever is left untreated. Consider that the World Health Organisation has begun the Initiative on Allergic Rhinitis and it's Impact on Asthma. This initiative recognises the relationship between asthma and hay fever and also stresses the importance of early treatment to prevent the occurrence of asthma. The effects on personal health missed work and school as well as the financial costs all mean that the link between hay fever and asthma is not one to take lightly.

People who suffer from hay fever may develop allergic asthma as well, although the asthma attacks often occur later in the pollen season and continue after pollen counts have fallen.

http://www.hayfeverexpert.co.uk/HayFeverAndAsthma.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/health_culture/allergies.shtml

[Gabriella8]

Hi! I don't have hayfever when I was still in the Philippines (lived there for 30yrs). My hayfever started when I moved here last year. I stayed in America and other Asian countries before but I didn't get any symptoms of hayfever. I'm taking antihistamine at least 2x week to keep me comfortable :)

[aussie]

Hi, I use to have really bad hay fever in Melbourne/Victoria. I was using Beconaise, which worked well for me here. I then lived in the UK for 2 years. I even got a bit of hayfever in the UK and Beconaise helped there as well. However since I have been back in Melbourne I have found my hayfever to have improved. However some years seem to be worse than others for hay fever.