I dread spring and the return of my allergies. Is there anything I can do to prevent allergies this year?

Spring heralds misery to many allergy sufferers as the pollen count rises and 15 to 20 percent of the population develop symptoms. Skin-prick testing is a simple test that may help determine what triggers are causing your allergy.

There are three options: allergy avoidance (very difficult for seasonal hayfever but try keeping windows closed, as well as changing your clothes and showering after exposure); medication (antihistamines,decongestants and intranasal corticosteroids etc); immunotherapy (repeated exposure to an extract of the allergen in order to induce a state of immunological tolerance) which is best done through an allergist.

If your symptoms are very severe and you're over 17 and not pregnant, your doctor may consider a long-acting cortisone injection. However, this can lead to severe flushing in the first 48 hours after the injection.

For more information visit www.allergysa.org

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