Rhinitis simply means ‘inflammation of the nose’ and usually causes symptoms such as nasal congestion (a blocked nose), a runny nose, itching, sneezing and a postnasal drip. There are many different causes of rhinitis so identifying the cause is the key to managing the symptoms. For many people, rhinitis can be a short-term (acute) condition that clears up after a few days or it can be a longer-term (chronic) condition that lasts several months or even all year round. Rhinitis is common and often becomes more common with increasing age.

The word ‘rhinitis’ means inflammation of the nose and if this is caused by an allergy, it’s known as ‘allergic rhinitis’. Allergic rhinitis, also sometimes known as hay fever, is an allergy to pollen and can occur all year round. Typically, grass or tree pollen is the cause, triggering itchy eyes, nose and throat plus sneezing, a runny nose and watery eyes. These symptoms occur in what’s known as hay fever season, which is typically from the end of March to July, but varies depending on where you are in the country and whether your allergy is to grass pollen that usually causes summer hay fever or tree pollen that affects people more in the spring. House dust mite and pet allergy can trigger allergic rhinitis at any time of the year. Allergic rhinitis is very common, with around 1 in 5 people in the UK suffering with it at some point in their life. However, it most commonly starts as a child or teenager. It can run in families and you’re more likely to have allergic rhinitis if you also suffer from asthma or eczema. Allergic rhinitis is not contagious (you can’t catch it from someone else).

Hives are also known as urticaria or nettle rash. Red raised circular marks appear called weals, which resemble a dartboard bullseye. These are usually intensely itchy, and may also sting or burn. Weals appear anywhere on the body within minutes to hours of meeting an allergen or irritant. Antihistamine tablets or cream can dampen down the reaction, and cooling agents and moisturisers can calm the itch. The weals should disappear within 24 hours, although redness or a form of bruising may persist. Hives are not contagious, and cannot be passed on.

Hay fever – also known as seasonal allergic rhinitis - is an allergy to pollen, usually from grass or trees that can cause symptoms in either your eyes, nose or throat. In some sufferers it can cause a whole body response with a combination of symptoms, leaving you feeling pretty fed up and reluctant to embrace the great outdoors. It can also end up interfering with your work, study and sleep. Pollen is a dust-like particle, carried on the wind and by insects such as bees to pollinate more plants. Proteins in pollen can trigger an inflammatory response where an immune-fighting substance called histamine is released from mast cells in the body. This is helpful in protecting you from certain irritants, but hay fever and other allergic reactions occur because your histamine release mechanism goes into overdrive. Hay fever is very common, affecting around 1 in every 5 people in the UK, and it often starts as a child or teenager. It can run in families, and you are more likely to have hay fever if you also suffer from asthma or eczema. If you have hay fever, when you come into contact with pollen or the spores of moulds or fungi that you’re allergic to, your body produces an antibody called immunoglobulin E (IgE). Antibodies are usually only released to fight infection, but in this instance, your body believes the substance you’re allergic to is harmful. When there’s a lot of the substance you’re allergic to in the air, the IgE antibodies will trigger the release of chemicals from certain cells in your nose, throat and eyes. One of these chemicals is histamine, and as a result of histamine in your system, you’ll experience the symptoms of hay fever. Pollen is seasonal. You may be allergic to just one type of pollen, which means you are only susceptible to symptoms at certain times of the year, and therefore treatment can be limited to this time. Treatment can be targeted at relieving each symptom or with the aim of dampening down inflammation throughout the body. With lots of hay fever products on the market, it can be tricky to know which is right for you, so let’s talk you through the options.