Allergy and hayfever fast facts

What is an allergy?

An allergy occurs when your body becomes hypersensitive to a particular substance (known as an allergen) found in your surroundings. Whenever the substance is breathed in, ingested or comes into contact with your skin, your immune system overreacts and you experience symptoms such as a skin rash, swelling and itching.¹

How does the body react?

Allergens cause the body to release large amounts of a chemical called histamine. Histamine causes the tissues in the body to swell, leading to the symptoms of allergies.² Many allergy medications work by reducing the amount of histamine produced during an allergic reaction, hence the name ‘antihistamines’.

Symptoms of allergies and hayfever

Allergy symptoms can vary widely from person to person and can often depend on the substance causing them. An allergic reaction to pollen in the air, commonly known as hayfever, causes symptoms such as itchy, watery eyes, a sore throat, sneezing and a runny nose.³ Allergies affecting the skin may cause an itchy rash and localized swellings, known as hives.⁴ Read more about the symptoms of allergies, here.

How common are allergies?

Allergies are becoming increasingly common, with an estimated 1 in 5 people in Australia and New Zealand affected by hayfever symptoms.⁵ These are among the highest rates of allergy worldwide. Increases in the incidence of allergy over the last 25 years means that it is now classified as a major public health concern in developed countries.⁶

Who suffers from allergies?

Allergies affect both males and females and can occur at any age, including during infancy. Unfortunately, allergies may also last for many years. For example, 80% of children diagnosed with hayfever will still experience symptoms 10 years later and 40% of young adults with the condition will still be experiencing it 20 years on.⁷

How to prevent allergies and hayfever

The best way to prevent an allergic reaction is to avoid coming into contact with the allergen that you are sensitive to, although this might be difficult, especially in the case of hayfever. Despite this, there are several things you can do to minimise the frequency and severity of a hayfever attack. For example, stay indoors during hot, dry and windy days (when pollen in the air is at its highest levels), preferably in an air conditioned environment. Also, try to keep your home as dust free as possible.⁸ Check out more tips on preventing allergies here.

Getting tested for an allergy

If you have a suspected allergy, you might be advised to undergo an allergy test by your doctor. These tests are usually done in a doctor’s office and take around 20‐40 minutes to complete. Allergy tests usually involve exposing the skin to different allergens and observing any allergic reactions.⁹