It’s the story you hear every year.

Someone who’s never suffered from allergies moves to Northland, and then spring hits and they suddenly have hay fever for the first time in their life.

This year
there is likely to be an intense pollen season prompted by warmer temperatures, the New Zealand Asthma and Respiratory Foundation warned in August.

Warmer than average temperatures this winter due to climate change could change how the growing season develops and how long it lasts, increasing pollen levels.

Seasonal allergic rhinitis (hayfever) is usually triggered by wind-borne pollen from trees, grass and weeds.

The time of year your symptoms develop may be a sign of what plants you are allergic to.

Early spring symptoms point to tree pollen, while nasal allergy in late spring and summer indicates that grass and weed pollens are the culprits, according to Asthma NZ.

Overlapping the grass season is the weed pollen season, which usually starts in late spring and extends through to the end of summer.

Although people often point the finger at privet, grasses (poaceae) actually produce the most airborne pollen in Northland.

Allergy medications that were once displayed annually are now on the shelf all year long, said Orr’s Pharmacy pharmacist Dave Lornie.

Over the 10 years Lornie has been working at the pharmacy he’s been seeing an increasing number of Northlanders suffering from hayfever.

“The bit that’s most surprising to people is when you get someone that’s sort of 55 or 60, and they’re coming in with an allergy for the first time.”

Lornie noted it’s not the bright flowering plants pollinated by bees that are the problem, but the grasses, weeds and trees that rely on airborne pollen to spread.

There are around 300 naturalised types of grass in New Zealand, naturalised meaning exotic species that have gone wild, Northern Regional Council biodiversity manager Lisa Forester explained.

“In comparison, there are just over 220 native species in NZ, most of which don’t occur in Northland.”

Northland is surrounded by grass, from road verges to pasture farmlands. Common grasses in Northland include rye, fescue, brome, Yorkshire fog, paspalum, cocksfoot and sweet vernal.

It’s hard to pinpoint what grasses are causing hayfever due to the large number.

But one thing is for certain, Northland’s climate is perfect for grasses to grow like crazy.

“My message to anyone who suffers from grass allergies would be to avoid having rank flowering grass around their property, either by mowing or preferably replacing it with other plants.

“Spraying will only lead to more grasses and weeds in the long run,” Forester said.

New Zealand endures some of the highest rates of hayfever and eczema, Northern Allergy Clinic Director Dr Rebekah Thompson said.

“I think there is this quiet cohort of very debilitated sufferers that don’t make a lot of noise but suffer from itching and having poor sleep quality and poor concentration and missed work days.”

Once a month, Thompson travels from her home in Auckland to Whangārei to run an allergy clinic at Kensington Hospital. This includes treatments like immunotherapy to reduce symptoms of hayfever.

“The take-home message that I would want patients to know is that we suffer worse than the rest of the world because of our high pollen and dust mite loads but there are more treatments available than just the antihistamine.”

There’s a lack of information for allergy sufferers about what works, said Thompson, but websites like Allergy NZ are changing that.

“With higher costs to see your GP there is a significant barrier and a lot of people resort to over-the-counter antihistamines, yet they are probably the least effective medicine.”

Those suffering from excess mucus production are better suited to treating it with a nose spray regularly, Thompson said, and eczema sufferers should understand the physical connection between the itch and the disease.

“Eczema is very easily triggered by rubbing… rubbing triggers a whole lot of inflammation in your skin and then you’re in a vicious cycle.”

“It’s shocking how much it impacts people’s quality of life and to the extent that the quality of life scores (of allergy sufferers) are often as bad as someone with a very severe heart condition.”

More people have taken an interest in respiratory health since Covid 19, Asthma NZ nurse educator Brianna Hosken said.

“It’s very prevalent here in New Zealand, I think one in eight adults are asthmatic.”

How we react to pollens often comes down to the genetic factors and the predispositions and health of our immune system, Hosken said.

“If you have had eczema, or asthma when you were younger you tend to be more predisposed to developing hay fever and allergies later in life or vice versa.”

“It’s sort of a bit of a triad of eczema, asthma and hay fever.”

How to best manage the conditions include a range of pharmacological and non-pharmacological lifestyle changes, Hosken explained.

“You’ve probably seen the blue inhaler – the reliever, we don’t want people to just be relying on that because that only treats the outside constriction of the bronchial. It doesn’t treat the inside inflammation.”

While you may grow out of the need to use an inhaler, you might still have an underlying condition and be more prone to having an asthma attack out of nowhere, because you’re not actually on medication, explained Hosken.

“We sort of say that you don’t actually grow out of asthma.”

“As far as allergies are concerned, we’re looking at why is somebody getting these and what is triggering it?”, said Whangārei Natural Health naturopath Louella Wood.

Wood said Northland’s warm and damp environment triggers mould which produces mycotoxins, which are toxic to our bodies.

“I really think that mould is quite important when it comes to talking about allergies in Northland.”

“Mycotoxins can trigger mast cells, which are part of your immune system and help you fight infections, but they are also involved in allergic reactions.”

How to diagnose seasonal allergies

A pharmacist or GP should be your first stop if you think you or a family member is suffering from allergies, said Mahitahi Hauora clinical lead Dr Libby Prenton.

If you suspect you or a child in your family has an allergy, or you need further support to manage your symptoms, Prenton recommends talking to your GP.

“Your GP can help you with symptom management, discuss allergy testing with you and advise if a specialist referral is required,” she said.

How to treat seasonal allergy symptoms

Your pharmacist can help with advice and over-the-counter medication to help manage routine allergic symptoms, such as a runny nose, watery or itchy eyes, sneezing associated with hayfever, or itchy or irritated skin associated with dermatitis, said Prenton.

Hosken, of Asthma NZ, noted in severe cases some people go down the immunotherapy route, and that can be via injections or tablets.

How to prevent seasonal allergies

Environmental factors such as checking daily pollen forecasts and ensuring pollen doesn’t get into your home can help prevent allergies in the first place, Hosken said.

“If it’s been really bad even showering or changing your clothes after (outside) activity (can help),” Hosken said.