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HAYFEVER MISERY TO HIT ONE IN TWO PEOPLE BY 2060 - North Scotland comes out tops as best place to live to escape high pollen count – - The clinically proven, drug-free Lloydspharmacy Hayfever Reliever provides solution for effective treatment - Startling new images released today by Lloydspharmacy show how the UK’s hayfever time bomb is set to explode within the coming years.(1) Currently, the condition affects around a quarter of the UK population, one of the highest prevalence rates for hayfever in the world. By 2040, up to 28 million people will have hayfever due to severe pollen seasons caused by climate change. (1,2) City-dwellers will be worst affected by hayfever as warmer summers will intensify air pollution which affects the respiratory tract and allergenicity of pollens. In fifty years time, it is likely that almost three quarters of the population of London will be affected by hayfever whilst almost half of the population of East Anglia, including Cambridge and Norwich, will have hayfever by 2040. North Scotland has been deemed the best place to live for people who want to avoid hayfever with only a third of the population forecasted to be affected by 2060. (1) Hayfever sufferers can view the maps and download the full report > As pollen seasons are predicted to become more severe and more types of allergenic plants spread across the UK, more people will be affected by hayfever as their threshold levels for allergic response are reached.(1,3) If these levels are reached every year, instead of getting occasional bouts of hayfever, these people will get hayfever annually, contributing to the increase in sufferers.(1) The cost of loss of productivity at work due to hayfever has been estimated at £7.1billion per year.(4) If the prevalence of hayfever increases as predicted, this cost will be dwarfed. Professor Jean Emberlin, director of the National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit, University of Worcester, who developed the forecast maps said, “These figures are a stark reminder of the effects climate change can have on our health. Hayfever not only has a tremendous impact on many aspects of life for the sufferer but also for the economy as a whole and it should be taken seriously.” “Increasingly we are going to need treatments which help people to reduce their susceptibility to hayfever in the first place rather than simply alleviate the symptoms,” explains Chris Frost, Head of Medicines at Lloydspharmacy “A study conducted by the National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit, and published online by the Current Medical and Research Opinion concluded that the Lloydspharmacy Hayfever Reliever significantly reduced the main symptoms of hayfever - sneezing, runny nose, watering eyes and an itchy palate. In fact it’s so effective some people may feel a reduction in hayfever symptoms after using it just a few times. This device has been clinically proven to help to reduce susceptibility to some types of pollens, making it very useful for the severe pollen seasons forecasted over the next ten to fifty years.”(5) UK areas least susceptible to increases in allergenic pollen loads include coastal areas, especially in the west. The further north one goes, the shorter the growing season and the shorter the pollen seasons, causing less misery for hayfever sufferers. Highland and moor land areas are good places for hayfever sufferers as the type of vegetation there produces less pollen. (1) -Ends- Notes to editors
About the research methodology: Predictions of prevalence rates for hayfever in 2020, 2040 and 2060 were made by estimating current prevalence rates from available information then entering these into a formula for each region and predicted year which included weightings for current rate of change in prevalence, features of current pollen seasons and regional vegetation, geographical position and altitude, the influence of air pollution, changes in pollen season due to climate change and changes in the distributions of allergenic plants. Prevalence is the proportion of the population that has hayfever. The prevalence rates are based on the population as a whole not on a particular age group. Prevalence rates are likely to be higher in teenagers and young adults than in the population as a whole. About the Lloydspharmacy Hayfever Reliever The Lloydspharmacy Hayfever Reliever works by phototherapy, red light comprising two different wavelengths. One wavelength is designed to promote increased blood flow and circulation and the second wavelength to suppress the cells that release histamine and reduce inflammation. Both work together to relieve the irritating symptoms of allergic rhinitis, including hayfever. The therapy is completely painless. The Lloydspharmacy Hayfever Reliever is a class IIA medical device and can be used alone, or alongside other allergy medications. It is so small it can be used anywhere – in the car, on a train or at work. The Hayfever Reliever, suitable for both adults and children, is safe, quick and easy to use. The Hayfever Reliever delivers the phototherapy by beaming infra red light through two small prongs which are inserted up the nose. It can be used three or four times per day for three minutes at a time. The Lloydspharmacy Hayfever Reliever is currently available for half price at £14.99.
About the study: Objective: to investigate the effect of the Hayfever Reliever (Lloyds Pharmacy phototherapy device SN-206) on symptoms of hayfever (seasonal or intermittent rhinitis) in adults.
Study design: a double blind, placebo controlled grass pollen challenge conducted out of the pollen season. The trial was conducted on 101 hayfever sufferers between the start of October 2008 and the end of January 2009. Subjects were adult males and females.
Results: • No adverse reactions were reported. All the subjects had some reactions to the pollen challenge. In all cases the total and mean symptom scores for the placebo group were higher than those in the allergy reliever group. The highest total and mean symptom scores were for itching nose, running nose and itchy throat. • Percentage differences scores for symptoms between Placebo (n=51) and Allergy Reliever (n=50) groups: • Sneezing – 35% • Itching eyes – 23% • Running eyes – 46% • Itching nose – 23% • Itching throat – 18% • TOTAL MEAN DIFFERENCE: 29%
References: 1. J. Emberlin. Hayfever prevalence in the UK in 2020, 2040 and 2060. May 2009. Available at: www.lloydspharmacy.com/allergy 2. K. Giannakouris. Ageing characterises the demographic perspectives of the European societies. Issue number 72/2008. Eurostat. August 2008. Available at http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-SF-08-072/EN/KS-SF-08-072-EN.PDF [Accessed May 2009] 3. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). "Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report Summary for Policymakers," www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/syr/ar4_syr_spm.pdf 4. Hayfever costs billions every year in loss of employee productivity. 30 March 2009 http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/news/894699/Hay-fever-costs-billions-every-year-loss-employee-productivity/ [Accessed May 2009] 5. J. Emberlin, R. Lewis. Pollen challenge study of a phototherapy device for reducing the symptoms of hayfever. Current Medical Research and Opinion, 28 May 2009. Available online at http://www.informapharmascience.com/doi/abs/10.1185/03007990903024699 [Accessed May 2009] For media enquiries, please contact: Press Officer Lloydspharmacy Tel: 02476 432192 Email: pr@lloydspharmacy.co.uk JUNE 2009
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