Also called: Pollen allergy
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Hay Fever
Each spring, summer, and fall, trees, weeds, and grasses release tiny pollen grains into the air. Some of the pollen ends up in your nose and throat. This can trigger a type of allergy called hay fever.
Symptoms can include:
- Sneezing, often with a runny or clogged nose
- Coughing and postnasal drip
- Itching eyes, nose and throat
- Red and watery eyes
- Dark circles under the eyes
Your health care provider may diagnose hay fever based on a physical exam and your symptoms. Sometimes skin or blood tests are used. Taking medicines and using nasal sprays can relieve symptoms. You can also rinse out your nose, but be sure to use distilled or sterilized water with saline. Allergy shots can help make you less sensitive to pollen and provide long-term relief.
It sits within Ear, Nose and Throat and Immune System.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Hay Fever
472 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Phase 1, First in Human (FIH), Open-Label, Single-Arm, Ascending Dose Study to Assess the Safety, Tolerability and Preliminary Immunogenicity of ITI-9001 in Japanese Patients With Japanese Red Cedar (JRC) PollinosisImmunomic Therapeutics, Inc.
- Multi-omics in Severe Asthma From Olive Pollen AllergyMaimónides Biomedical Research Institute of Córdoba
- Rupatifen Fumarate Capsules in Patients With Seasonal Allergic RhinitisFujian Mindong Rejuvenation Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
- A Study to Identify and Characterize Adults and Pediatric Participants With Cat and/or Birch AllergyRegeneron Pharmaceuticals
- A Clinical Study Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of SHR-1819 Injection in Patients With Seasonal Allergic RhinitisGuangdong Hengrui Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd
- Study on the Treatment of Adolescent Patients With Seasonal Allergic RhinitisChengdu Kangnuoxing Biopharma,Inc.
Research already completed
- Threshold Concentrations for Ragweed and Birch Pollen in Seasonal Allergic RhinitisFraunhofer-Institute of Toxicology and Experimental Medicine
- Phase I Study of PollenVax in Patients With Mugwort Pollen-Induced Allergic RhinitisKazakh National Agrarian University
- An Exploratory Study of PQ Grass 27600 SUAllergy Therapeutics
- Grass Pollen Immunotherapy Plus Dupilumab for Tolerance InductionNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
- A Study to Demonstrate the Effect of REGN5713-5715 on Reducing Ocular Allergy Signs and Symptoms in Adult Participants With Birch Pollen AllergyRegeneron Pharmaceuticals
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Allergic Rhinitis (Allergies)American Academy of Family Physicians
- Hay Fever / RhinitisAmerican Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology
- Seeking Allergy Relief: When Breathing Becomes BothersomeNational Institutes of Health
Diagnosis and Tests
- Allergy Blood TestNational Library of Medicine
- Allergy Skin TestNational Library of Medicine
Treatments and Therapies
- 6 Things To Know About Complementary Health Approaches for Seasonal Allergy ReliefNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
- Hay Fever MedicationsAmerican Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology
- Is Rinsing Your Sinuses With Neti Pots Safe?Food and Drug Administration
- Know Which Medication Is Right for Your Seasonal AllergiesFood and Drug Administration
- Saline Sinus Rinse RecipeAmerican Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Controlling Hay Fever Symptoms with Accurate Pollen CountsAmerican Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology
- PollenNational Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Related Issues
- Colds, Allergies and Sinusitis - How to Tell the DifferenceAmerican Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology
Statistics and Research
- FastStats: Allergies and Hay FeverNational Center for Health Statistics
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Rhinitis, Allergic, PerennialNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Rhinitis, Allergic, SeasonalNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Hay Fever, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.