As of: April 5, 2024, 5:31 p.m
By: Susanne Sasse
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For many people, hay fever is simply an annoying side effect of spring. But be careful: anyone who takes the runny nose and watery eyes lightly is running a big risk: one in three children with hay fever will develop asthma!
Surname |
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Behr |
Old |
62 |
Medical specialties |
Internal medicine, pulmonary and bronchial medicine, cardiology and allergology |
chief doctor |
Medical Clinic and Polyclinic V at the LMU Hospital |
engagement |
Board of Directors of the AtemWeg Foundation |
University professorship since 2002 |
Chair of Pulmonology at the LMU |
A study from Sweden (title: Natural course of pollen-induced allergic rhinitis from childhood to adulthood: A 20-year follow up) now confirms again what Prof. Jürgen Behr, head of the LMU Lung Clinic, has been warning about for years. One in three children with hay fever developed asthma during the 20 years the study participants were followed. And only in a quarter - i.e. 25 percent of those affected - did the hay fever disappear completely at some point. It is therefore proven that the widespread so-called pollen-induced allergic rhinitis, as hay fever is technically known, represents a strong risk factor for asthma.
During the “allergic march,” the disease moves from the nose and eyes down into the lungs
Warning: If you don't take hay fever seriously, you will often suffer from asthma later on, warns Prof. Jürgen Behr. He heads the pulmonology department at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich (LMU). © Andrea Jaksch
Prof. Jürgen Behr explains: If the symptoms start in the nose and eyes and then spread to the deeper respiratory tract over the course of life, this is called the allergic march. This is often the case: “If we examine hay fever patients and deliberately provoke allergic reactions, then we see that half of them are prone to asthma, we call this an asthmatic reactivity.” And of these 50 percent of hay fever patients, half get it actually clinical asthma. This means that a quarter of hay fever patients develop asthma symptoms over the course of their lives.
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When you have asthma, the bronchial tubes become tense, making it particularly difficult to breathe out
Asthma is an inflammation of the mucous membrane in the bronchi and the bronchial wall. The bronchial muscles contract more and narrow the bronchial tubes. Prof. Behr's asthma patients often report a feeling of tightness or pressure on the chest, which can also occur in attacks. It is not uncommon for it to occur at night or when you have been heavily exposed to allergens, such as hazelnut pollen, for example after a walk when the hazelnut is in bloom. Breathing is difficult - but especially exhaling, which is easily explained by the narrowing of the bronchi. You often hear wheezing, which is also called wheezing. Coughing or coughing often with little glassy sputum is often noted.
If you have severe hay fever, desensitization treatments can help - all the important questions and answers on the subject. © Angelika Warmuth/dpa
This is how hay fever patients can reduce the risk of asthma
Hay fever can also go away on its own. But according to the study in Sweden, it remains at 75 percent of those affected. And hay fever can also get worse and worse over the years. Only so-called desensitization, also known as specific immunotherapy, helps against the cause itself, namely the disease-causing overreaction of the body's immune system. Prof. Behr explains: “However, this desensitization does not work for all patients. And in order for it to be effective, you must have carried out a precise allergy test beforehand so that you can specifically desensitize against the existing allergies - unfortunately this is not always the case.
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This is how hyposensitization, also called desensitization, works
During desensitization, the patient is given targeted traces of the allergen via syringe, to which his immune system reacts - such as hazelnut or birch pollen. The treatment must take place over a period of three years. You have to make this clear beforehand, because if you don't stick with it, the treatment will be of no use. It works best when the allergies have not existed for too long. Studies show that when hay fever is treated very early, at the latest after three years, with targeted immunotherapy, the effect is best. It doesn't work for all patients, that needs to be made clear. And those patients who react best to them are those who are not allergic to numerous substances, for example to various pollens or even to house dust or animal hair, but only to a few allergens. Immunotherapy can also have side effects. In the beginning you will receive an injection from the doctor every one to two weeks, with the dose increasing each time. Once the maximum dose has been reached, the therapy intervals are extended to six to twelve weeks. After the injection, patients must then stay with the doctor for about an hour. This will monitor whether they show any reactions; in the worst case, an allergic shock can occur.
How do you recognize hay fever?
A real hay fever illness occurs when patients suffer from it for a few weeks a year. It doesn't just cause sneezing, a stuffy nose with a runny nose and itchy, watery and irritated eyes. The ability to concentrate is often impaired and you feel weak and sick. If one is clinically compromised, I would consider whether immunotherapy is indicated. Eye drops and medication never address the cause itself, only the symptoms.