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New research suggests that measuring airborne grass allergen levels, rather than pollen counts, can better help hay fever sufferers manage their symptoms. The study, conducted by King's College London and Imperial College London, found that grass allergen levels are consistently associated with hay fever symptoms. Currently, pollen counts are used to monitor hay fever, but the researchers argue that measuring allergen levels would provide more accurate information, as pollen grains can release varying amounts of allergens each day. This information could help the 1 in 4 adults in the UK who suffer from hay fever better control their symptoms and potentially reduce hospitalizations due to worsened lung conditions such as asthma.
Measuring airborne grass allergen levels instead of pollen counts will be more beneficial for hay fever sufferers as new research shows grass allergen levels are more consistently associated with hay fever symptoms than grass pollen counts.
The research, published today in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and led by King’s College London and Imperial College London, shows for the first time that measuring airborne allergen levels will help people with hay fever better control their symptoms.
1 in 4 adults in the UK suffer from hay fever from late-March to September. Symptoms include a runny or blocked nose, sneezing and coughing and itchy, red or watery eyes. Hay fever can make lung conditions such as asthma worse, causing wheezing and breathing difficulties which can lead to hospitalisation.
Many people with hay fever monitor peak pollen times to manage their symptoms. In the UK, pollen grains are manually measured to find the daily pollen count. But authors of this study say measuring allergen levels instead will be more accurate as each pollen grain can release a different amount of allergen each day, and it is the allergens in the air that are primarily responsible for causing hay fever symptoms. Currently, there is no regular monitoring of allergen levels in the UK or elsewhere.
Authors collected daily symptom and medication scores from adult participants in an allergy clinical trial as well as daily counts of asthma hospital admissions in London. They measured grass pollen counts and but also