Scroll down for a sample from our Members Only site. Hay fever, with its symptoms of itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, runny, stuffy, or itchy nose, temporary loss of smell, headache, and tiredness, is the most common allergy. A child with allergies may snore, wake with a sore throat, breathe through the mouth, and frequently rub the nose. Allergy symptoms are often like cold symptoms, but usually last longer. The most common causes of allergies are particles in the air, such as pollen, house dust mites, mold or mildew, and animal dander.
Allergies seem to run in families.
Parents with hay fever often have children with allergies. Hay fever usually develops in the early teens, but can occur at any age. You can often discover the cause of an allergy by noting when symptoms occur. Allergies that seem to persist all year long may be due to dust mites in household dust, mold spores, or animal dander. There is no practical prevention for hay fever.