Every years, millions of people around the world experience what is called hay fever during the spring and summer. While the condition is common enough, scientists have not been able to fully understand it causes even today. Here are some of the most common known causes of hay fever.
Pollen
The male reproductive parts of plants aka pollen is the number one cause associated with the development of hay fever. Essentially, hay fever is an allergic reaction our bodies have to pollen. Immune reactions may vary from person to person though a runny nose, itching, sneezing, congestion and fever etc. are the most common traits of the ailment.
Living in a highly sanitized environment
While it is generally accepted that people with a genetic predisposition to developing hay fever would get it no matter what precautions they take, studies also claim that people that have lived a better part of their lives in highly sanitized environments may also be responsible for triggering the ailment.
Austrian researchers found in a study that children that came in regular contact with farm animals were more likely to have strong immune systems and developed fewer allergies later on in life. What this suggests is that children that are brought up in highly sanitized environments do not get the chance to have their immune system strengthened by coming in contact with germs as children. Hence, when their bodies do encounter such problems later on in life, they do not have an appropriate response to it and fall severely ill.
Pollution
While there isn’t enough evidence to link hay fever directly to pollution, experts suggest that those with a predisposition to developing the ailment may be more likely to get hay fever if they lived or worked near a high pollution zone.
