Causes of Hay fever
List of causes of Hay fever
Following is a list of causes or underlying conditions
(see also Misdiagnosis of underlying causes of Hay fever)
that could possibly cause Hay fever includes:
More causes:
see full list of causes for Hay fever
Hay fever Causes: Book Excerpts
Hay fever as a complication of other conditions:
Other conditions that might have
Hay fever as a complication may,
potentially, be an underlying cause of Hay fever.
Our database lists the following as having
Hay fever as a complication of that condition:
Hay fever as a symptom:
Conditions listing Hay fever
as a symptom may also be potential underlying causes of Hay fever.
Our database lists the following as having
Hay fever as a symptom of that condition:
Medications or substances causing Hay fever:
The following drugs, medications, substances or toxins are some of the possible
causes of Hay fever as a symptom.
This list is incomplete and various other drugs or substances
may cause your symptoms.
Always advise your doctor of any medications or treatments you are using,
including prescription, over-the-counter, supplements, herbal or alternative treatments.
See full list of 28
medications causing Hay fever
Medical news summaries relating to Hay fever:
The following medical news items are relevant to causes of Hay fever:
Related information on causes of Hay fever:
As with all medical conditions,
there may be many causal factors.
Further relevant information on causes of Hay fever may be found in:
Causes of Hay fever: Online Medical Books
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE!
Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration,
for more information about the causes of Hay fever.
Nasal Obstruction & Rhinorrhea:
Differential Diagnosis
(In A Page: Pediatric Signs and Symptoms)
-
Physiologic
–Nasal cycle
–Nasopulmonary reflex
–Puberty
–Menstruation and pregnancy
-
Congenital
–Choanal atresia or stenosis
–Cleft palate
–Craniofacial syndromes such as Treacher Collins, Crouzon
-
Cyst
–Dermoid, meningocele, or encephalocele
–Thornwaldt
- Infectious
–Bacterial rhinosinusitis with Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Moraxella catarrhalis, staph
–Viral rhinosinusitis with rhinovirus, adenovirus, coxsackie
-
Viral prodrome
–Measles, mumps, mono, polio
-
Fungal (if immunocompromised)
–Aspergillosis, mucormycosis
-
Inflammatory
–Allergic rhinitis
–Nasal polyps
–Adenoid hypertrophy
–Nasopharyngeal GERD
-
Granulomatous
–Sarcoidosis
–Wegener syndrome
–SLE
–Churg-Strauss syndrome
-
Traumatic
–Foreign body
–Septal hematoma
–Septal abscess
-
Neoplastic
–Chordoma
–Craniopharyngioma
–Juvenile angiofibroma
–Olfactory neuroblastoma
-
Cystic fibrosis
-
Thyroid disease (hypo- or hyper-)
-
Ciliary dyskinesia
–Kartagener, immotile cilia syndrome, etc.
-
Chronic rhinitis
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: In A Page: Pediatric Signs and Symptoms, 2007
Chronic Rhinitis:
Differential Diagnosis
(In A Page: Pediatric Signs and Symptoms)
- Allergic rhinitis
–Rhinorrhea is typically watery and profuse
–May have associated sneezing, itchy eyes
and nose (allergic salute)
- Infectious conditions
–Chronic sinusitis: Typically has mucopurulent discharge; headache and fever may or may not be present
–Succession of URIs: Can get associated bacterial overgrowth, typically group A β
-
hemolytic Streptococcus in young children;
may have low-grade fever, lymphadenopathy,
and weight loss
–Congenital syphilis
-
Nonallergic rhinitis
–Typically due to irritants such as smoke or pungent odors
-
Vasomotor rhinitis
–A hyperactive cholinergic response
–Postnasal drip is commonly associated
-
Foreign body
–Always consider when there is unilateral nasal discharge
–Halitosis or generalized body odor
(bromhidrosis) may be present
- Nasal polyps
–10% of children with CF develop polyps
–Other causes include Kartagener syndrome (immotile cilia), recurrent sinusitis, aspirin intolerance
–Woake syndrome includes polyps, broad nasal base, frontal sinus aplasia, bronchiectasis
-
Adenoid hypertrophy
–Associated with mouth breathing, noisy respirations
–Severe cases can result in obstructive sleep apnea
-
Juvenile nasopharygeal angiofibroma
–Typically in adolescent males
–Associated with recurrent epistaxis
-
Hormonal rhinitis (rare)
–Pregnancy and hypothyroidism
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: In A Page: Pediatric Signs and Symptoms, 2007
Rhinorrhea:
Medical causes
(Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition))
Basilar skull fracture
A tear in the dura can lead to cerebrospinal rhinorrhea, which increases when the patient lowers his head. Other findings include epistaxis, otorrhea, and a bulging tympanum from blood or fluid. A basilar fracture may also cause a headache, facial paralysis, nausea and vomiting, impaired eye movement, ocular deviation, vision and hearing loss, a depressed level of consciousness, Battle’s sign, and raccoon eyes.
Common cold
An initially watery nasal discharge may become thicker and mucopurulent. Related findings include sneezing, nasal congestion, a dry and hacking cough, a sore throat, mouth breathing, and a transient loss of smell and taste. The patient may also experience malaise, fatigue, myalgia, arthralgia, a slight headache, dry lips, and a red upper lip and nose.
Nasal or sinus tumors
Nasal tumors can produce an intermittent, unilateral bloody or serosanguineous discharge that may be purulent and foul smelling. Nasal congestion, postnasal drip, and a headache may also occur. In advanced stages, paranasal sinus tumors may cause a cheek mass or eye displacement, facial paresthesia or pain, and nasal obstruction.
Rhinitis
Allergic rhinitis produces an episodic, profuse watery discharge. (A mucopurulent discharge indicates infection.) Typical associated signs and symptoms include increased lacrimation; nasal congestion; itchy eyes, nose, and throat; postnasal drip; recurrent sneezing; mouth breathing; an impaired sense of smell; and a frontal or temporal headache. Also, the turbinates are pale and engorged; the mucosa, pale and boggy.
With atrophic rhinitis, the nasal discharge is scanty, purulent, and foul smelling. Nasal obstruction is common, and the crusts may bleed on removal. The mucosa is pale pink and shiny.
With vasomotor rhinitis, a profuse and watery nasal discharge accompanies chronic nasal obstruction, sneezing, recurrent postnasal drip, and pale, swollen turbinates. The nasal septum is pink; the mucosa, blue.
Sinusitis
With acute sinusitis, a thick and purulent nasal discharge leads to a purulent postnasal drip that results in throat pain and halitosis. The patient may also experience nasal congestion, severe pain and tenderness over the involved sinuses, fever, headache, and malaise.
With chronic sinusitis, the nasal discharge is usually scanty, thick, and intermittently purulent. Nasal congestion and low-grade discomfort or pressure over the involved sinuses can be persistent or recurrent. The patient may also be suffering from a chronic sore throat and nasal polyps.
With chronic fungal sinusitis, the clinical picture resembles that of chronic bacterial sinusitis. However, some cases — especially patients who are immunocompromised — may progress rapidly to exophthalmos, blindness, intracranial extension and, eventually, death.
Other causes
Drugs
Nasal sprays or nose drops containing vasoconstrictors may cause rebound rhinorrhea (rhinitis medicamentosa) if used longer than 5 days.
Surgery
Cerebrospinal rhinorrhea may occur after sinus or cranial surgery.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition), 2006
Allergic rhinitis:
Causes and incidence
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Hay fever reflects an immunoglobulin (Ig) E-mediated type I hypersensitivity response to an environmental antigen (allergen) in a genetically susceptible individual. In most cases, it’s induced by windborne pollens: in the spring by tree pollens (oak, elm, maple, alder, birch, and cottonwood), in the summer by grass pollens (sheep sorrel and English plantain), and in the fall by weed pollens (ragweed). Occasionally, hay fever is induced by allergy to fungal spores. In addition to individual sensitivity and geographical differences in plant population, the amount of pollen in the air can be a factor in determining whether symptoms develop. Hot, dry, windy days have more pollen than cool, damp, rainy days.
In perennial allergic rhinitis, inhaled allergens provoke antigen responses that produce recurring symptoms year-round. The allergens trigger antibody production and histamine release, producing itching, swelling, and mucus. The major perennial allergens and irritants include dust mites, feather pillows, mold, cigarette smoke, upholstery, and animal dander. Seasonal pollen allergy may exacerbate signs and symptoms of perennial rhinitis.
Allergic rhinitis is the most common atopic allergic reaction, affecting more than 20 million Americans. It’s most prevalent in young children and adolescents but can occur in all age groups.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Rhinorrhea:
Medical causes
(Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition))
Basilar skull fracture
A tear in the dura can lead to cerebrospinal rhinorrhea, which increases when the patient lowers his head. Other findings include epistaxis, otorrhea, and a bulging tympanum from blood or fluid. A basilar fracture may also cause headache, facial paralysis, nausea and vomiting, impaired eye movement, ocular deviation, vision and hearing loss, depressed level of consciousness, Battle’s sign, and raccoon eyes.
Common cold
An initially watery nasal discharge may become thicker and mucopurulent. Related findings include sneezing, nasal congestion, a dry and hacking cough, sore throat, mouth breathing, and transient loss of smell and taste. The patient may also experience malaise, fatigue, myalgia, arthralgia, a slight headache, dry lips, and a red upper lip and nose.
Headache (cluster)
Rhinorrhea can accompany a severe, unilateral cluster headache. Related ocular effects include miosis, ipsilateral tearing, conjunctival injection, and ptosis. The patient may also experience flushing, facial diaphoresis, bradycardia, and restlessness.
Mucormycosis
Rhinocerebral mucormycosis causes a thin, serosanguineous nasal discharge. Other initial findings include dull nasal pain; black, dusky red, or necrotic turbinates; low-grade fever; periorbital and facial edema; and erythema of the skin on the cheeks. This rare fungal infection is a surgical emergency, requiring surgical debridement and an I.V. antibiotic because it may spread to the eye, lower respiratory tract, and other organs.
Nasal or sinus tumors
Nasal tumors can produce an intermittent, unilateral bloody or serosanguineous discharge that may be purulent and foul smelling. Nasal congestion, postnasal drip, and headache may also occur. In advanced stages, paranasal sinus tumors may cause a cheek mass or eye displacement, facial paresthesia or pain, and nasal obstruction.
Rhinitis
Allergic rhinitis produces an episodic, profuse watery discharge. (A mucopurulent discharge indicates infection.) Typical associated signs and symptoms include increased lacrimation; nasal congestion; itchy eyes, nose, and throat; postnasal drip; recurrent sneezing; mouth breathing; impaired sense of smell; and frontal or temporal headache. The turbinates are pale and engorged; the mucosa, pale and boggy.
With atrophic rhinitis, the nasal discharge is scanty, purulent, and foul smelling. Nasal obstruction is common, and the crusts may bleed on removal. The mucosa is pale pink and shiny.
With vasomotor rhinitis, a profuse and watery nasal discharge accompanies chronic nasal obstruction, sneezing, recurrent postnasal drip, and pale, swollen turbinates. The nasal septum is pink; the mucosa, blue.
Rhinoscleroma
This rare, progressive condition produces watery nasal discharge that later becomes foul smelling and encrusted. It also causes firm, bluish red nodules on the mucous membranes that can develop into scars and cause stenosis.
Sinusitis
With acute sinusitis, a thick and purulent nasal discharge leads to a purulent postnasal drip that results in throat pain and halitosis. The patient may also experience nasal congestion, severe pain and tenderness over the involved sinuses, fever, headache, and malaise.
With chronic sinusitis, the nasal discharge is usually scanty, thick, and intermittently purulent. Nasal congestion and low-grade discomfort or pressure over the involved sinuses can be persistent or recurrent. The patient may also be suffering from a chronic sore throat and nasal polyps.
With chronic fungal sinusitis, the clinical picture resembles that of chronic bacterial sinusitis. However, some cases—especially in immunocompromised patients—may progress rapidly to exophthalmos, blindness, intracranial extension and, eventually, death.
Wegener’s granulomatosis
Besides a bloody, mucopurulent nasal discharge, this disorder causes conductive hearing loss, crusting and tissue necrosis of the nose, and epistaxis. Less-common findings include sore throat, cough (possibly hemoptysis), wheezing, dyspnea, pleuritic chest pain, hemorrhagic skin lesions, and oliguria.
Other causes
Drugs
Nasal sprays or nose drops containing vasoconstrictors may cause rebound rhinorrhea (rhinitis medicamentosa) if used longer than 5 days.
Surgery
Cerebrospinal rhinorrhea may occur after sinus or cranial surgery.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition), 2006
Allergic rhinitis:
Causes
(Handbook of Diseases)
Hay fever reflects an immunoglobulin (Ig) E–mediated, type I hypersensitivity response to an environmental antigen (allergen) in a genetically susceptible individual. In most cases, it’s induced by wind-borne pollens: in spring, by tree pollens (oak, elm, maple, alder, birch, cottonwood); in summer, by grass pollens (crabgrass, bluegrass, fescue, and ryegrass); and in fall, by weed pollens (ragweed). Occasionally, hay fever is induced by allergy to fungal spores.
With perennial allergic rhinitis, inhaled allergens provoke antigen responses that produce recurring symptoms year-round.
The major perennial allergens and irritants include dust mites, feather pillows, mold, cigarette smoke, upholstery, and animal dander. Seasonal pollen allergy may exacerbate symptoms of perennial rhinitis.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
anaphylaxis:
Causes
(Handbook of Diseases)
The causes of anaphylactic reaction are ingestion of or other systemic exposure to a sensitizing drug or other substance.
Sensitizing substances
Sensitizing substances include serums (usually horse serum), vaccines, allergen extracts, enzymes (such as l-asparaginase), hormones, penicillin and other antibiotics, sulfonamides, local anesthetics, salicylates, polysaccharides, diagnostic chemicals (sulfobromophthalein, sodium dehydrocholate, and radiographic contrast media), foods (legumes, nuts, berries, seafood, and egg albumin) and sulfite-containing food additives, and insect venom (honeybees, wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, fire ants, mosquitoes, and certain spiders).
A common cause of anaphylaxis is penicillin, which induces anaphylaxis in 1 to 4 of every 10,000 patients treated with it. Penicillin is most likely to induce anaphylaxis after parenteral administration or prolonged therapy and in atopic patients who are allergic to other drugs or foods.
Pathophysiology
An anaphylactic reaction requires previous sensitization or exposure to the specific antigen, resulting in the production of specific immunoglobulin (Ig) E antibodies by plasma cells. This antibody production takes place in the lymph nodes and is enhanced by helper T cells. IgE antibodies then bind to membrane receptors on mast cells (found throughout connective tissue, often near small blood vessels) and basophils.
On reexposure, the antigen binds to adjacent IgE antibodies or cross-linked IgE receptors, activating a series of cellular reactions that trigger degranulation — the release of powerful preformed chemical mediators (such as histamine, prostaglandins, and platelet activating factor) from mast cell stores. IgG or IgM enters into the reaction and activates the release of complement fractions.
This acute phase of the response occurs within minutes of exposure. Because of the systemic nature of the exposure, activation of mast cells is widespread, and the massive release of these powerful mediators near blood vessels leads to vascular collapse by stimulating contraction of certain groups of smooth muscles and by increasing vascular permeability. In turn, increased vascular permeability leads to decreased peripheral resistance and plasma leakage from the circulation to extravascular tissues (which lowers blood volume, causing hypotension, hypovolemic shock, and cardiac dysfunction).
In the later phase of this response (8 to 12 hours later), other mediators are synthesized and released, including chemokines, leukotrienes, and cytokines. These agents mediate the inflammatory response by recruiting eosinophils and lymphocytes. This delayed response may be less dramatic than the acute phase of anaphylaxis, but with a diffuse inflammatory response, further smooth-muscle contraction and edema can occur and progress to grave systemic symptoms.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Rhinorrhea:
Medical causes
(Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms)
Basilar skull fracture.With a basilar skull fracture, a tear in the dura can lead to cerebrospinal rhinorrhea, which increases when the patient lowers his head. Other findings include epistaxis, otorrhea, and a bulging tympanum from blood or fluid. A basilar fracture may also cause headache, facial paralysis, nausea and vomiting, impaired eye movement, ocular deviation, vision and hearing loss, depressed level of consciousness, Battle's sign, and raccoon eyes.
Nasal or sinus tumors.Nasal tumors can produce an intermittent, unilateral bloody or serosanguineous discharge that may be purulent and foul smelling. Nasal congestion, postnasal drip, and headache may also occur. In advanced stages, paranasal sinus tumors may cause a cheek mass or eye displacement, facial paresthesia or pain, and nasal obstruction.
Rhinitis.Allergic rhinitis produces an episodic, profuse watery discharge. (A mucopurulent discharge indicates infection.) Typical associated signs and symptoms include increased lacrimation; nasal congestion; itchy eyes, nose, and throat; postnasal drip; recurrent sneezing; mouth breathing; an impaired sense of smell; and a frontal or temporal headache. Also, the turbinates are pale and engorged; the mucosa, pale and boggy.
With atrophic rhinitis, the nasal discharge is scanty, purulent, and foul smelling. Nasal obstruction is common, and the crusts may bleed on removal. The mucosa is pale pink and shiny.
With vasomotor rhinitis, a profuse and watery nasal discharge accompanies chronic nasal obstruction, sneezing, recurrent postnasal drip, and pale, swollen turbinates. The nasal septum is pink; the mucosa, blue.
Sinusitis.With acute sinusitis, a thick and purulent nasal discharge leads to a purulent postnasal drip that results in throat pain and halitosis. The patient may also experience nasal congestion, severe pain and tenderness over the involved sinuses, fever, headache, and malaise.
With chronic sinusitis, the nasal discharge is usually scanty, thick, and intermittently purulent. Nasal congestion and low-grade discomfort or pressure over the involved sinuses can be persistent or recurrent. The patient may also be suffering from a chronic sore throat and nasal polyps.
With chronic fungal sinusitis, the clinical picture resembles that of chronic bacterial sinusitis. However, some cases—especially in patients who are immunocompromised—may progress rapidly to exophthalmos, blindness, intracranial extension and, eventually, death.
Upper respiratory infection.With the common cold, an initially watery nasal discharge may become thicker and mucopurulent. Related findings include sneezing, nasal congestion, a dry and hacking cough, a sore throat, mouth breathing, and a transient loss of smell and taste. The patient may also experience malaise, fatigue, myalgia, arthralgia, a slight headache, dry lips, and a red upper lip and nose.
Other causes
Drugs.Nasal sprays or nose drops containing vasoconstrictors may cause rebound rhinorrhea (rhinitis medicamentosa) if used longer than 5 days.
Surgery.Cerebrospinal rhinorrhea may occur after sinus or cranial surgery.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms, 2007
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