• Question: Why do some people get hay fever and others don`t?

    Asked by dynamitefire to Carol, Ellie, John, Philip, Rebecca on 25 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Rebecca Lacey

      Rebecca Lacey answered on 25 Jun 2012:

      Some people are genetically predisposed to hayfever and other allergies. It is even possible for adults to develop hayfever who have not ever had any symptoms before:
      http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8763115.stm

      It ultimately comes down to how your immune system reacts to pollen – this may be genetic, but this is a current area of research so people aren’t really too sure.

    • Photo: Carol White

      Carol White answered on 27 Jun 2012:

      Allergies are determined by a combination of your genes and the environment around you. So how likely you are to develop an allergy depends on age, sex, genetic history, pollution, diseases and even diet.

      Scientists have found that it might be to do with your ability to produce the allergy antibody called ‘Immunoglobulin E’ when you come into contact with a particular substance, such as pollen.

      Even if you’re genetically more likely to develop allergies it doesn’t mean you will. I only developed hayfever at 18, and it disappeared for a few years when I moved country. Some allergies disappear if you change environment or diet, but as Rebecca says it’s still being researched!

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