Hay fever only average

Press, 13 December 1982, Page 21

Hay fever only average

Hay fever sufferers who fear that they may be falling victim to a particularly bad pollen season may just be suffering the ill effects of a long run of north-westers. . The Medical Officer of Health in Christchurch, Dr W. A. Malpress. has said that he did .not think that this season was any worse than previous years for hay fever.' He would not expect this season to be any worse because there had not been so much grass growth because

of the drought. I Hay fever sufferers could i experience worse symptoms I as they passed through their I late teens and into their 20s. : as the mid-20s were the peak period for symptoms to ap- < pear. These’ would usually .! clear up in a person's 40s, Dr Malpress said. Ear, nose, and throat specialists in Christchurch generally agreed that the incidence and severity of hay fever this season had not been any worse than in

previous years, although one medical laboratory reported that it had done more sensitivity tests than in other years. Several general practitioners surveyed said the problem was no worse than usual. One chemist shop reported an increase in the number of people seeking medication for the relief of hay fever symptoms this season, but another chemist had noted a drop.