There has been a steep rise in people developing hay fever for the first time later on in life, after never having suffered from it as a child. In fact, it’s estimated that by 2030, more than 30 million British people will experience hay fever, over half the entire population.
It’s thought that pollution is mainly to blame, with the National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit at Worcester University citing increased traffic and poor air quality trapping pollen at ground level.
Another factor is our insistence on cleanliness – recently Swiss scientists claimed that children are more likely to develop hay fever if they don’t grow up with pets.
Climate change and hay fever
Also contributing are the so-called ‘pollen bombs’ that are a result of climate change – concentrations of different types of pollen means that people who have never suffered an allergic reaction before are now at risk.
The good news is that hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen but as we grow older still our immune system is less likely to react, meaning you could grow out of hay fever eventually.
