Moving states could be the answer to your hay fever

Kent Feng’s hay fever was so severe that he would sneeze “hundreds of times a day”.

He never left his home without nasal spray, eye drops and a box of antihistamines, his symptoms regularly affecting his daily life.

“I would have to leave work early because I would be sneezing and swollen all over,” he told the ABC.

“It was miserable. It left me spending entire days in bed.”

Having lived in Melbourne for more than 20 years, Kent said it was the city’s unpredictable weather and pollen that aggravated his hay fever.

Based on his symptoms, Kent said two specialists diagnosed him with allergic rhinitis.

Looking for solutions, Kent’s colleague suggested allergen immunotherapy injections.

It involved taking gradually increasing doses of allergen extracts over time, aiming to train the immune system to be less sensitive.

“For my first treatment, I had an injection every week for 12 weeks,” Kent said.

“After 12 injections, I got injections once a month for three years.”

But after 36 injections, Kent said, “they were no help”.

It was not until Kent and his family made the decision to move to Queensland for his health that everything changed.

“I no longer sneeze as many times a day, or suffer through swollen eyes and headaches,” he said.

“I have a joke with my friends which is that ‘the end of hay fever is in Queensland.'”

‘Constant debilitating’ sinus issues

It’s a similar story for Sue Tomisich Northfield, who left Melbourne for Batemans Bay in New South Wales because of her allergies.

The 54-year-old grew up in the northern suburbs of Melbourne.

It wasn’t until she moved to the south-eastern suburbs for her job that she saw her allergies “explode”.

“I react very badly with grasses, crops and non-native trees,” she told the ABC.

“After seeing allergy specialists, I tested allergic to mould, an assortment of grass varieties, plane trees and dust mites.”

Like Kent, Sue had the same injections but could not complete them, as she “kept reacting badly”.

“During this time, I started having anaphylactic reactions to varying things,” she said.

“I had constant debilitating sinus headaches and sinus infections, despite taking a plethora of nasal sprays, antihistamines and anti-inflammatories.”

Over the years, Sue noticed that her allergies were less severe when she was close to the beach.

“Being near sea air and salt water has provided a great relief for my allergies,” she said.

“So, moving to a place like Batemans Bay significantly improved things for me.”

What causes hay fever?

Mould, dust and animals can all cause hay fever symptoms.

But the main culprit is rye-grass pollen, according to Cenk Suphioglu, an associate professor of Biomedical Science at Deakin University.

Professor Suphioglu said it was common for some people’s immune systems to overreact to the pollen from rye-grass, causing a range of symptoms.

The symptoms experienced by Kent and Sue — sneezing, runny nose, itchy, watery or red eyes, swollen skin and fatigue — were “some of the most common symptoms for hay fever”, Professor Suphioglu told the ABC.

And it does not help that rye-grass pollen can travel long distances.

“Rye-grass pollen is wind-pollinated, meaning it can travel from the farmlands to the metropolitan areas with great ease.”

Is hay fever worse in some cities than others?

Australia has some of the worst hay fever rates in the world.

It affects almost one in four people, according to 2022 data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Melbourne and Canberra regularly jostle for the label of being the world’s worst city for allergies.

While Professor Suphioglu says Canberra does have severe pollen seasons, he does not believe it holds the title.

“I still protest that the allergy capital is Melbourne,” he said.

“The problem here, in Victoria, is that rye-grass is an agriculturally viable crop. It’s also economically important as a livestock feed, meaning, it’s everywhere.”

Professor Suphioglu said combining this with the genetics of some people made for a bad mix.

“Not everyone is allergic, so there is going to be some underlying genetic predisposition which makes certain people more susceptible than others,” he said.

Are pollen levels higher this year?

It is difficult to determine exactly how pollen levels are changing across the country, says Edwin R Lampugnani, a molecular biologist and senior research fellow at the University of Melbourne.

“Pollen levels across Australia are not uniform and can fluctuate significantly from year to year due to climatic conditions such as rainfall, temperature and soil moisture,” Dr Lampugnani told the ABC.

This year, he said the situation had been variable.

“In regions with significant rainfall, plant and grass growth has been robust.”

And of course, Dr Lampugnani said there was much more in our air than just grass pollen.

“Trees, shrubs and weeds all produce pollen too and our air often has mould spores too,” he said.

He said it was important to note that pollen exposure could vary “not only between regions but also within the same region”.

“This is depending on local vegetation and weather.

“People relocating to new areas may encounter unfamiliar pollen types (eg, moving from a temperate rye-grass region to an area dominated by tropical grasses), which can exacerbate their symptoms,” he said.

“While some areas may see an increase in pollen levels this year, the impact on hayfever symptoms depends on a combination of individual sensitivities, regional conditions, and the individual’s pollen exposure.”

Professor Suphioglu said that compared to other seasons, overall this year’s had not been as long or as severe.

“We actually had the season starting much earlier, with the trees playing a role,” he said.

“We’ve had a lot more tree pollen appearing before the season began. So in a way, this year was quite bad with tree pollen, not so much grass.”

Can’t change your genes, change your environment

Professor Suphioglu said it was understandable some people wanted to relocate because of hay fever.

“Obviously, you can’t remove your genetic factors, but you can remove the environmental factors,” he said.

“By moving to another state, they are taking the environmental factors out of the equation. So it is likely they will no longer be as allergic.”

However, Professor Suphioglu said there were still allergen sources in sub-tropical regions. But their presence was “not as high as in Victoria”.

Those relocating could “initially experience worse symptoms” as their immune systems adjusted to new pollen types and mould, Dr Lampugnani said.

“While others may develop symptoms some time after moving.”

What can I do to help my hayfever symptoms?

Managing hay fever requires a combination of preventive measures, monitoring tools, and medical support, Dr Lampugnani said.

He said these were some of the strategies that could help in adapting to challenging environments:

Use available tools

The Melbourne Pollen App (Sydney, Canberra and Perth are also available) provides current pollen forecasts.

“Tools like this allow users to plan ahead and make sure they are choosing the best time for outdoor activities during peak pollen periods,” Dr Lampugnani said.

Keep windows and doors closed

Particularly on high-pollen days, Dr Lampugnani said.

Review your current asthma action plan

“If you haven’t updated this in a while, book in a visit with your GP visit and have it reviewed.”

Be aware of what you’re allergic to

“Especially if you are thinking of moving. Different regions of Australia have different allergens,” Dr Lampugnani said.

“For example, temperate grasses, like rye-grass, dominate southern regions such as Victoria and Tasmania, with peak seasons in spring.

“Tropical grasses, like Bermuda grass, are more common in northern regions, where pollen seasons are longer and can extend into summer.”

See your GP

Talking to a GP or an allergy specialist is the best place to start in identifying your triggers, Dr Lampugnani said.