Allergies Archives - Illawarra Medical Centre https://illawarramedical.com.au/category/allergies/ Providing superior health care to families and local businesses in the Ballajura area for more than 25 years Thu, 23 Oct 2025 03:39:54 +0000 en-AU hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Hay fever – it’s nothing to sneeze at! https://illawarramedical.com.au/hay-fever-its-nothing-to-sneeze-at/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hay-fever-its-nothing-to-sneeze-at Thu, 23 Oct 2025 03:21:24 +0000 https://illawarramedical.com.au/?p=9038 Springtime not only brings out the sun and beautiful blooms, but allergies too! Hay fever is the most common allergic disorder in Australia, affecting one in five people. Pollen from trees, grass, and weeds is one of the main triggers for seasonal allergies at this time of year. In this month’s blog, we take a […]

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Springtime not only brings out the sun and beautiful blooms, but allergies too!

Hay fever is the most common allergic disorder in Australia, affecting one in five people. Pollen from trees, grass, and weeds is one of the main triggers for seasonal allergies at this time of year.

In this month’s blog, we take a closer look at hay fever and the symptoms, prevention and treatments available.

What is hay fever?

Hay fever, or allergic rhinitis, occurs when a person comes into contact with environmental allergens that they have a sensitivity to. It can be caused by a number of triggers, the most common being pollens, dust mites, mould, and animal dander.

When these allergen particles get trapped in the nose – which acts as a natural filter – the immune system responds by triggering an allergic reaction and will try to protect the body by allowing the nasal passages to become inflamed and produce more mucus.

This video from the National Allergy Council gives a good overview of hay fever – https://youtu.be/SWSH8eDhp_I?si=RRRAJOhFXQuIvApp

Grass pollen is the main outdoor allergen during spring and early summer; and with Western Australia experiencing above average rainfall over winter, some reports have suggested that hay fever season will be longer and more severe for sufferers this year.

Symptoms

Some of the more immediate signs and symptoms of hay fever include:

  • Runny, itchy or congested nose
  • Sneezing
  • Itchy, watery eyes
  • Snoring

Mild to moderate symptoms tend not to affect a person’s day-to-day functioning too badly.

However, more severe symptoms can have a greater impact on one’s quality of life, including through:

  • Sleep disturbance
  • Daytime tiredness
  • Headaches
  • Poor concentration
  • Recurrent ear infections in children or sinus infections in adults
  • Greater difficulty controlling asthma

Those with grass pollen allergies are also at greater risk of thunderstorm asthma, which can occur even if you have never had asthma before.

Thunderstorm asthma occurs when rain droplets crash into airborne pollen and break the pollen grains into tiny particles. These particles can then get further and deeper inside your lungs than larger pollen grains and rapidly trigger asthma symptoms.

There have been a number of these events in Australia in recent years, including one in 2024 in Albury Wodonga, which saw over 100 people presenting to local hospital emergency departments, and the world’s largest recorded event in Melbourne in 2016, which saw 10 deaths and a 672% increase in the number of people presenting to emergency departments with respiratory related complications.

Prevention

The best prevention for hay fever is trying to avoid the allergens that trigger your allergies as much as possible.

For those who react to pollen, you can reduce your exposure by:

  • Staying indoors as much as possible during pollen season, particularly when it is windy or thunderstorms are forecast.
  • Avoid activities that trigger your symptoms, such as mowing grass and weeding.
  • Shower immediately after activities where you may have had a high exposure to pollen.
  • Keep the windows in your house and car closed and use recirculating air conditioning in the car.
  • Avoid hanging your clothes or bed linen outside to dry, if possible.

If you have a dust mite allergy, try:

  • Washing your bed linen in hot water once a week.
  • Using dust mite resistant covers on your mattress, pillows and bedding.
  • Removing sheepskins, woollen underlays and soft toys from your bed and bedroom.
  • Using a damp cloth to dust surfaces in your house once a week.

Those with mould allergies should:

  • Remove any visible mould by cleaning with bleach or other mould reduction cleaners.
  • Ensure adequate natural ventilation, including extractor fans.
  • Avoid working with garden compost and mulch.

For those with allergies from animal dander, try and keep your pets out of your bedroom and preferably outside, if possible.

The Australian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy website offers a range of strategies to help you prevent hay fever.

AirHealth monitors daily pollen levels from 1 October to 31 December and provides forecasts to help people better prepare and manage their hay fever. You can track local pollen levels and forecasts through their website at – https://www.perthpollen.com.au/

Treatments

There are a number of over-the-counter medications available to help treat hay fever symptoms, including:

  • Intranasal corticosteroid sprays – these contain low dose steroids and are safe for long-term use.
  • Antihistamines – these are effective in relieving symptoms and are available without prescription from a pharmacy.
  • Saline nasal sprays – to help clear nasal decongestion.
  • Decongestant nasal sprays or tablets – these should only be used for a maximum of 5 days. Pregnant women and those with high blood pressure should not use decongestants at all.

If your symptoms persist, or are having a negative impact on your day-to-day activities, you should discuss additional treatment options with your general practitioner. They may recommend a referral to a clinical immunology/allergy specialist for further assessment and allergy testing.

Allergen immunotherapy

Allergen immunotherapy is another long-term treatment option for hay fever sufferers. It involves desensitisation by gradually increasing exposure to a known allergen by injection or sublingual drops or tablets. Treatment is usually undertaken for 3 to 5 years and is available to those aged 5 and over.

Illawarra Medical Centre offers allergen immunotherapy to patients suffering from allergies caused by grass pollen and house dust mites.

This treatment is best for those suffering with moderate to severe hay fever who find that:

  • it impacts their quality of life;
  • symptoms aren’t adequately controlled by symptomatic medication and allergen avoidance measures;
  • they experience side effects to existing medication; and/or
  • they would prefer not to use ongoing medication to treat allergies.

Treatments Available at Illawarra Medical Centre

We use Oralair® – the first registered temperate grass sub-lingual immunotherapy tablet in Australia and New Zealand – to treat grass pollen allergies.

For house dust mite allergies, we use Actair® – the first registered immunotherapy tablet for treatment of house dust mite allergies in Australia.

To make an allergy appointment with one of our GPs, contact our Reception on (08) 9208 6400.

For more information on this topic, visit:

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]]> The link between eczema and food allergies https://illawarramedical.com.au/the-link-between-eczema-and-food-allergies/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-link-between-eczema-and-food-allergies Thu, 26 May 2022 05:17:58 +0000 https://illawarramedical.com.au/?p=5704 May plays host to both Eczema Awareness Month and Food Allergy Awareness Week, but did you know that eczema and food allergies can be linked, especially in children? Food allergy occurs in around 5-10% of children and 2-4% of adults in Australia and New Zealand. Eczema affects one in 5 children under 2 years of […]

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May plays host to both Eczema Awareness Month and Food Allergy Awareness Week, but did you know that eczema and food allergies can be linked, especially in children?

Food allergy occurs in around 5-10% of children and 2-4% of adults in Australia and New Zealand. Eczema affects one in 5 children under 2 years of age. Eczema can also occur in older children and adults but usually improves with age.

In this month’s blog, we take a closer look at eczema and food allergies and the link between them.

What is eczema?

Eczema is a skin condition that causes the skin to become red, dry, itchy and scaly. In severe cases, the affected skin may weep, bleed and crust and may become infected.

The most common type of eczema is atopic dermatitis – a chronic, itchy skin condition that generally affects the elbows, knees, hands and face.

While it is very common in children, it can affect people of any age and often occurs in individuals with an existing predisposition to and/or family history of eczema, asthma or hay fever.

Those with eczema carry large numbers of Staphylococcal bugs on their skin. These can make eczema worse by activating the immune cells that cause inflammation of the skin.

 As eczema often leads to broken skin, sufferers are at greater risk of contracting skin infections when an outbreak does occur. This can make the eczema worse and treatment more difficult.

Eczema can cause great discomfort for sufferers. It can greatly impact on quality of life, causing sleepless nights due to itching, absenteeism from work, school and other activities, or hospitalisation and costly treatments when severe flare ups occur.

Winter can be a prime time for eczema. You can read more about this in our previous blog – How Winter Impacts on Eczema>>

How is it treated?

While eczema cannot be cured, it can be managed.

The first step is consulting your GP or skin specialist for a formal diagnosis. They will then work with you to develop an individualised treatment plan to best manage your eczema. This will often include a three-pronged approach of:

  • reducing your exposure to any triggers, where possible;
  • regularly applying moisturiser to your skin; and
  • intermittent treatment with topical steroids.

Other key recommendations for managing eczema day-to-day include:

  1. Washing your skin with non-soap cleansers, to help reduce the number of Staphylococcal bugs on your skin. Non-soap cleansers can also maintain important oils that can often be stripped through the use of soap based products.
  2. Moisturising your skin every day to help replace the moisture often lost in winter. This also helps to block out germs that can cause infection. The best time to moisturise is generally after showering, when the skin is still slightly damp. It’s important to use a moisturiser that is suited to your skin.
  3. Keeping showers and baths short and using lukewarm water (no more than 30oC), as hot water will cause your skin to dry out further.
  4. Wearing soft, breathable fabrics and loose fitted clothing to prevent further skin irritation.
  5. Avoiding the overuse of heaters, as they can dry the air and exacerbate the problem.

What is a food allergy?

According to Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia, a food allergy is “an immune system response to a food protein that the body mistakenly believes is harmful. When the individual eats food containing that protein, the immune system releases massive amounts of chemicals, triggering symptoms that can affect a person’s breathing, gastrointestinal tract, skin and/or heart.”

Food allergy symptoms

Most symptoms of food allergy are mild or moderate and occur within 30 minutes of eating the food. These symptoms may include:

  • Swelling of the lips, face or eyes.
  • Skin reactions like redness, hives or eczema.
  • Tingling or itchy mouth.
  • Vomiting, stomach pain and/or diarrhoea.
  • Nasal congestion.

If these symptoms occur, it is best to avoid that food again and to make an appointment with your GP as soon as possible.

A severe allergic reaction, or anaphylaxis, can happen immediately and symptoms include:

  • Difficult or noisy breathing.
  • Swelling of the tongue and throat (e.g. drooling, difficulty swallowing).
  • A change in voice or cry and/or difficulty vocalising.
  • A persistent cough, wheezing or stridor.
  • Collapse or fainting.
  • Paleness and floppiness (in young children).

Anaphylaxis can be life threatening. Please seek urgent medical assistance for any signs of a severe allergic reaction.

Common food allergies

The most common allergy causing foods are:

  1. Eggs
  2. Peanuts
  3. Tree nuts (such as cashews, pistachios, walnuts, pecans and hazelnuts)
  4. Cow’s milk
  5. Wheat
  6. Fish
  7. Shellfish
  8. Sesame
  9. Soy
treenut
soy
sesame
seafood
fish
peanut
milk carton
egg
bread

Food Allergy Prevention

To help reduce the risk of food allergies developing, the Australian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) recommends introducing solid foods to infants between four to six months of age. It also recommends introducing the common food allergens by 12 months of age.

Delaying the introduction of common allergy causing foods does not prevent food allergy. In fact, research shows that giving your baby the common allergy causing foods before they are one year of age can greatly reduce the risk of them developing an allergy to that food.

Breastfeeding mothers are also encouraged to continue to breastfeed their infant while solid foods are first introduced, to help reduce the risk of food allergies developing.

This video from the Telethon Kids Institute provides some useful tips on ways to prevent food allergies developing in children>>

Even if common allergy causing foods are introduced before one year of age, a small number of children will still develop a food allergy. While there is currently no cure for food allergies, the good news is that many children will naturally outgrow them.

One tool being used to help better identify food allergies in infants is SmartStartAllergy. Illawarra Medical Centre’s Principal GP – Dr Alan Leeb – is one of the people behind SmartStartAllergy; a collaboration between SmartVax, the National Allergy Strategy (NAS), with funding from the Australian Government Department of Health and the Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation.

SmartStartAllergy uses automated SMS technology to send a text message to parents when their baby is 6, 9 and 12 months old to find out if they have introduced solid foods (including peanut).

Some parents will only receive a text message at 12 months. Subsequent messages ask if the child has had an allergic reaction to any introduced foods.

Parents also receive a brief questionnaire to find out about any allergic reactions, family history of allergy, or if their child has eczema.

How are food allergies and eczema linked?

People with eczema often have other allergic conditions, including food allergies. Studies have shown that infants with eczema and a family history of allergy are more likely to develop food allergies. Some research has also shown that babies with eczema can develop food allergy if the food comes into contact with their skin.

The foods most commonly found to be linked to worsening eczema are cow’s milk, eggs, wheat and peanuts.

Managing an infant’s eczema, to boost the skin barrier, may reduce the chance of them developing a food allergy.

While food allergy itself does not cause eczema, avoiding certain foods may also result in better eczema control for those with severe eczema. However, it’s important that any food elimination diets are conducted under the supervision of a clinical immunology/allergy specialist alongside a dietician, especially for infants. With an elimination diet, foods are introduced one at a time to see if they cause the eczema to flare. If there is no improvement over two weeks, this generally means that food is unlikely to be a trigger for the eczema.

Worried about food allergies or eczema?

Then book an appointment with your GP to discuss your concerns. At Illawarra Medical Centre, we offer dermatology checks with Dr Dhruva Ramachandran every Tuesday morning for those with any skin concerns.

To make a booking with Dr Ramachandran or any one of our GPs to discuss your skin and allergy concerns and the best treatment options available for you, go to our online bookings page or contact us on (08) 9208 6400.

To find out more about our dermatology services, visit the Dermatology page of our website>>

For more information on this topic, visit:

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]]> Making a Smart Start on infant food allergies https://illawarramedical.com.au/making-a-smart-start-on-infant-food-allergies/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=making-a-smart-start-on-infant-food-allergies Thu, 28 May 2020 04:16:24 +0000 http://43.250.249.65/~illawar7/?p=3125 Australia has one of the highest rates of food allergies in the world, with over half a million Australian’s having a diagnosed food allergy and one in ten children developing a food allergy before their first birthday. The good news is that recent results from a tool developed to better identify food allergies in infants […]

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Australia has one of the highest rates of food allergies in the world, with over half a million Australian’s having a diagnosed food allergy and one in ten children developing a food allergy before their first birthday.

The good news is that recent results from a tool developed to better identify food allergies in infants – SmartStartAllergy – suggests there is a shift in infant feeding practices that may help to reduce the occurrence of infant food allergies in Australia.

What is a food allergy?
A food allergy is the body’s immune system response to a food protein that the body mistakenly believes is harmful.

The most common food allergens include:

  1. Eggs
  2. Peanuts
  3. Tree nuts (such as cashews, pistachios, walnuts, pecans and hazelnuts)
  4. Cow’s milk
  5. Wheat
  6. Fish
  7. Shellfish
  8. Sesame
  9. Soy
egg
peanut
treenut
milk carton
bread
fish
seafood
sesame
soy

While most allergic reactions to these foods are mild or moderate, some people can have severe allergic reactions or anaphylaxis. These severe symptoms include:

  • Difficult or noisy breathing.
  • Swelling of the tongue and throat (e.g. drooling, difficulty swallowing).
  • A change in voice or cry and/or difficulty vocalising.
  • A persistent cough, wheezing or stridor.
  • Collapse or fainting.
  • Paleness and floppiness (in young children).

Anaphylaxis can be life threatening, so if your child is showing any signs of a severe allergic reaction, please seek urgent medical assistance.

This video produced by Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia shows how to recognise the signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction>>

Infant food allergies
Food allergy has been on the increase in Australia in recent years, with one in ten infants now having a confirmed allergy. Between 1997 and 2001, food allergies in children increased by 50% and around 2% of children now have a peanut allergy. This is of some concern as while most food allergies resolve with age, peanut allergy persists.

It is believed that the medical advice in the 1990s and early 2000s to avoid feeding allergenic foods to young children may have contributed to this increase in allergies, with studies showing that around 70% of children during that time had not eaten peanut by 12 months of age. What we now know is that the delayed introduction of allergenic foods increases the risk of food allergies.

Preventing food allergies in Australia
To help reduce the risk of food allergies developing, the Australian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) introduced new guidelines in 2019 which recommend introducing solid foods to infants between four to six months of age and introducing the common food allergens by 12 months of age.

It is also recommends that breastfeeding mothers continue to breastfeed their infant while solid foods are first introduced, to help reduce the risk of food allergies developing.

SmartStartAllergy data shows shift in feeding practices
Recent data from SmartStartAllergy suggests the change in ASCIA’s infant feeding guidelines has helped to shift infant feeding practices in Australia with respect to introducing common food allergens. The data suggests that most infants now receive peanut during their first year of life, consistent with ASCIA guidelines.

It is hoped that this shift may help to reduce the occurrence of infant food allergies in infants in Australia.

smartstartallergy_logo_infant_food_allergies_smartstartallergy

SmartStartAllergy is a collaboration between SmartVax, the National Allergy Strategy (NAS), with funding from the Australian Government Department of Health and the Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation.

It uses automated SMS technology to send a text message to parents when their baby is 6, 9 and 12 months old to find out if they have introduced solid foods (including peanut). Some parents will only receive a text message at 12 months. Subsequent messages ask if the child has had an allergic reaction to any introduced foods.

Parents also receive a brief questionnaire to find out about any allergic reactions, family history of allergy, or if their child has eczema.

SmartStartAllergy is currently used at 69 sites across Australia and has reached the parents and carers of around 16,000 infants to date.

The data collected through SmartStartAllergy will continue to provide important information about infant food allergies in Australia and helps to support the National Allergy Strategy Food Allergy Prevention Project.

To find out more, visit SmartStartAllergy or speak to your GP.

If you have any concerns regarding infant food allergies, make a booking with one of our GPs. Bookings can be made online or by contacting us on (08) 9208 6400.

For more information on this topic, visit:

 

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