Overview
Allergic rhinitis, often called hay fever, happens when your body overreacts to something harmless you breathe in, like pollen. Your body releases chemicals like histamine, which cause sneezing, a runny nose, and itchy eyes.
Seasonal allergies come from tree, grass, and weed pollen at certain times of year. Year-round allergies usually come from dust mites, mold, or pets. It can't spread to others, and it doesn't cause a fever.
Symptoms
Symptoms start soon after you're around a trigger and last as long as you're exposed.
- Sneezing
- Runny nose with clear mucus
- Stuffy nose
- Itchy or watery eyes
- Itchy nose, throat, or roof of the mouth
Less common
- Mucus dripping down the throat, or a cough
- Dark circles under the eyes
- Headache or tiredness
- Sneezing or stuffiness indoors, or around pets, dust, or mold
How it usually goes
- Minutes: Sneezing and itching start soon after you're around the trigger.
- Days to weeks: Symptoms last as long as the pollen season or exposure.
- Every year: Seasonal allergies often come back at the same time each year.
Look up a symptom: Itching
When to get medical care
Causes
Allergic rhinitis happens when your immune system reacts to something harmless you breathe in. Common triggers are tree, grass, and weed pollen, mold, dust mites, and pet dander.
More pollen is in the air on hot, dry, windy days. On cool, damp, rainy days, most pollen is washed to the ground.
Does it spread or run in families?
- It isn't contagious. You can't catch it from someone else.
Who is more likely to get it
- Family members with allergies
- Asthma or eczema
- Being around smoke, which can make symptoms worse
Possible complications
- Sinus infection: Face pain and congestion
- Asthma flare: Wheezing or trouble breathing
- Ear infection: More common in children with allergies
- Allergic pink eye: Itchy, red, watery eyes
Diagnosis
A healthcare professional can often tell you have allergies from your symptoms and when they happen. Allergy testing can find your exact triggers.
Questions you may be asked
- When your symptoms happen, and whether they're worse in certain seasons or places
- Whether pets, dust, or mold make it worse
- Whether you have itchy eyes, a fever, or face pain
- Whether you have asthma or eczema, or family members with allergies
- Which medicines you've tried
The exam
They'll look inside your nose, which is often pale and swollen with allergies, and at your eyes, ears, and throat.
Tests
If symptoms are hard to control, an allergist may do:
- Skin prick test: Tiny amounts of common allergens are placed on the skin; a small bump shows an allergy. Results in about 15 minutes.
- Blood test: Measures allergy antibodies to specific triggers.
Treatment
The best treatment is avoiding your triggers when you can. Medicines control symptoms well but don't cure allergies.
Self-care
- Check pollen counts, and stay inside on hot, dry, windy days when pollen is high
- Keep windows closed at home and in the car during pollen season, and use air conditioning
- Shower and change clothes after being outside
- Rinse your nose with a saline spray or wash (use distilled or boiled and cooled water)
- Start medicine early, before pollen season, for the best results
Medicines
Many allergy medicines are sold without a prescription. Read labels and ask a pharmacist which is right for you.
| Medicine | Helps with | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Nasal steroid sprays Fluticasone, Mometasone | Stuffy, runny, itchy nose and sneezing; the most effective treatment | Work best used every day; full effect can take 1 to 2 weeks. Aim away from the middle of the nose. Check the age limit on the label. |
| Antihistamines Azelastine nasal spray, Diphenhydramine | Sneezing, runny nose, and itchy, watery eyes | Older ones like diphenhydramine cause sleepiness; don't drive after taking them, and they're usually not recommended for adults 65 and older. |
| Decongestants Pseudoephedrine | Stuffy nose | Can raise blood pressure and make it hard to sleep. Don't use decongestant nasal sprays more than 3 days in a row. |
| Allergy eye drops | Itchy, watery eyes | Follow the age limits on the label. |
Medicine names link to drug information from the U.S. National Library of Medicine (MedlinePlus). OwieClear doesn't give doses: follow the label or your healthcare professional.
If medicines don't control your symptoms, an allergist may suggest allergy shots or tablets (immunotherapy). Over time, they help your body react less to specific allergens.
How it compares
| Allergies | Cold | Sinus infection | COVID-19 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Itchy eyes | Common | Rare | Rare | Rare |
| Fever | Never | Rare | Sometimes | Common |
| Body aches | Never | Mild | Rare | Common |
| Mucus | Clear, runny | Clear, then thicker | Thick | Varies |
| Lasts | As long as the trigger | 7 to 10 days | 7 to 10 days | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Contagious | No | Yes | No | Yes |
Prevention
Lowering your exposure to triggers helps:
- Stay indoors with air conditioning on high-pollen days, and sleep with windows closed
- Shower and wash your hair before bed in pollen season
- Wash bedding in hot water each week and use dust-mite covers
- Keep pets out of the bedroom
- Fix leaks and lower humidity to control mold
Which doctor treats this
- Start with your primary care provider (family doctor or internist).
- They may send you to an allergist (allergy and asthma doctor).
Living with it
Support groups and helplines
- Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America: Education and online support for asthma, allergies, and eczema.
Back to school, work, or sports
- Most people keep up normal school and work. Rest when you need to.
Children, pregnancy, and older adults
- Children: Nasal steroid sprays are generally safe for children. Check the label for age limits, and ask before giving decongestants to young children.
- Pregnancy: Ask your healthcare professional or pharmacist which allergy medicines are safe. Saline rinses are safe.
- Older adults: Drowsy antihistamines like diphenhydramine are usually not recommended. Ask about non-drowsy choices.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
- If you're pregnant or planning to be, tell your prenatal provider about this condition.
- Don't start or stop any medicine on your own. Some are safe in pregnancy and some need to be changed.
- Ask before taking any pain reliever. The FDA advises avoiding ibuprofen and naproxen after 20 weeks unless your doctor says to.
- Breastfeeding: Most medicines are fine, but ask. The NIH LactMed database lists what's known about each one.
Outlook
Allergies often last for years, but most symptoms can be controlled with medicine and avoiding triggers. Allergy shots or tablets can help when other treatments don't.
Getting ready for your visit
Keeping track of your symptoms helps find your triggers.
What to bring
- When and where your symptoms happen
- Medicines you've tried, and whether they helped
- Whether you have asthma or eczema
Questions to ask
- What am I allergic to? Should I get tested?
- Which medicine should I take, and when should I start it?
- Would allergy shots or tablets help me?
Research studies
Research studies test new ways to find and treat health problems. Some are looking for volunteers. Talk with your doctor before joining one.
Search ClinicalTrials.gov for studies on Seasonal allergies (hay fever)
Sources
- MedlinePlus: Allergic rhinitis
- MedlinePlus: Allergic rhinitis - self-care
- MedlinePlus Magazine: What triggers seasonal allergies?
Last updated 2026-11-12.