{"id":1029,"date":"2026-05-08T13:30:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T10:30:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.profdrelifaksoy.com\/en\/?p=1029"},"modified":"2026-05-08T13:30:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T10:30:28","slug":"what-is-hay-fever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.profdrelifaksoy.com\/en\/what-is-hay-fever\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Hay Fever ?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Permanent Treatment Options with Vaccine (Immunotherapy)<\/h2>\n<p>While nature comes alive with the arrival of spring for many people, for some patients this period is a time when <strong>allergic rhinitis (hay fever)<\/strong> complaints increase. This condition, which occurs especially during spring and early summer when pollen is intense, can seriously affect quality of life.<\/p>\n<p>Hay fever is a <strong>chronic inflammatory disease<\/strong> that develops as a result of the immune system overreacting to harmless substances (mostly pollens).<\/p>\n<p>Most common causative allergens:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Tree pollens (early spring)<\/li>\n<li>Grass and weed pollens (late spring \u2013 early summer)<\/li>\n<li>Wild herb pollens (late summer)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What Are the Symptoms?<\/h2>\n<p>Hay fever symptoms generally appear seasonally:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Constant sneezing<\/li>\n<li>Nasal discharge (clear, watery)<\/li>\n<li>Nasal congestion<\/li>\n<li>Itching in the nose and palate<\/li>\n<li>Redness, watering, and itching in the eyes<\/li>\n<li>Fatigue and deterioration in sleep quality<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If left untreated for a long time, it can lead to complications such as <strong>sinusitis, middle ear problems, development or worsening of asthma<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>Diagnosis<\/h2>\n<p>Diagnosis is usually made with clinical findings and allergy tests. Methods used:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Skin prick test<\/li>\n<li>Specific IgE blood tests<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Identification of the correct allergen is of critical importance, especially for <strong>vaccine treatment planning<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>Treatment Options<\/h2>\n<h3>1. Medical Treatment<\/h3>\n<p>To control symptoms:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Antihistamines<\/li>\n<li>Nasal corticosteroid sprays<\/li>\n<li>Decongestants<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>However, these treatments suppress symptoms but <strong>do not eliminate the disease.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>2. Vaccine Treatment (Allergen Immunotherapy) \u2013 Permanent Solution<\/h3>\n<p>The only <strong>disease-modifying treatment method<\/strong> in hay fever is allergen immunotherapy.<\/p>\n<h3>What Is Allergy Vaccine?<\/h3>\n<p>The substance causing the allergy (e.g. pollen) is given to the patient in controlled and increasing doses, enabling the immune system to <strong>develop tolerance<\/strong> against this substance.<\/p>\n<h3>Forms of Application<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT):<\/strong> Applied as an injection under the arm, administered in a hospital setting.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT):<\/strong> Sublingual drops or tablet (first dose in hospital), can be applied at home.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Duration of Treatment<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Average 3\u20135 years<\/li>\n<li>Significant benefit begins from the first year<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Advantages<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Changes the natural course of the disease<\/li>\n<li>Reduces the need for medication<\/li>\n<li>Can prevent the development of asthma<\/li>\n<li>Provides long-term permanent effect<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Who Is It Suitable For?<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Patients whose allergen has been clearly identified<\/li>\n<li>Those with moderate to severe allergic rhinitis<\/li>\n<li>Those who do not benefit sufficiently from medical treatment<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Scientific Perspective<\/h2>\n<p>According to international guidelines <strong>(ARIA \u2013 Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma)<\/strong>, immunotherapy:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The most effective evidence-based long-term treatment in allergic rhinitis<\/li>\n<li>Has been shown to have a reducing effect on the development of asthma<\/li>\n<li>The only method that reprograms the immune system<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Daily Life Protection Recommendations<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Avoid going outside during peak pollen hours (early morning)<\/li>\n<li>Take a shower and change clothes after coming home<\/li>\n<li>Use a HEPA filter air purifier<\/li>\n<li>Prefer pollen filters in the car and at home<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Although hay fever is often seen as &#8220;just an allergy,&#8221; it is a disease that can become chronic and affect the lower respiratory tract if not properly managed. The <strong>allergy vaccine (immunotherapy)<\/strong> applied in suitable patients is a powerful treatment option that changes the course of the disease.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Prof. Dr. Elif Aksoy<\/strong><br \/>\nENT Diseases Specialist<br \/>\nVoice and Swallowing Disorders<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Permanent Treatment Options with Vaccine (Immunotherapy) While nature comes alive with the arrival of spring for many people, for some patients this period is a time when allergic rhinitis (hay fever) complaints increase. This condition, which occurs especially during spring and early summer when pollen is intense, can seriously affect quality of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1030,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.profdrelifaksoy.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.profdrelifaksoy.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.profdrelifaksoy.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.profdrelifaksoy.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.profdrelifaksoy.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1029"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.profdrelifaksoy.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1029\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1031,"href":"https:\/\/www.profdrelifaksoy.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1029\/revisions\/1031"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.profdrelifaksoy.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1030"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.profdrelifaksoy.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.profdrelifaksoy.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.profdrelifaksoy.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}