What are the
symptoms of hayfever?

Common hayfever symptoms

Hayfever can have an impact on your day-to-day life and wellbeing. Learn more about hayfever symptoms so you can seek the right treatment.

Hayfever is an allergic reaction that mainly affects the lining of the nose. When you breathe in airborne allergens, your immune system may overreact and cause the inside of your nose to become inflamed, swollen and reactive. This can cause hayfever symptoms.1,2

The most common symptoms of hayfever include:1,2

Sneezing

Red, itchy and watery eyes

Runny and itchy nose

Blocked or congested nose

The symptoms of hayfever affect the nose, eyes, throat and mouth and can make you feel like you have a head cold.2

Other symptoms of hayfever

In addition to common nasal symptoms, hayfever may cause discomfort and other unpleasant symptoms including:2-4

Itchy throat or roof of mouth

Always needing to clear your throat

Swollen skin under eyes

Frequent headaches

Reduced sense of smell

Tiredness or fatigue

Dispelling common misconceptions about hayfever

  • You do not need to experience every hayfever symptom to have hayfever. You may develop just one or a few symptoms.1
  • Despite the name, fever is not one of the symptoms of hayfever.2
  • Hayfever is not just a spring-time concern. Depending on where you live and what your triggers are, hayfever symptoms can persist year-round.6
  • Hayfever symptoms do not usually resolve on their own. They can persist for as long as you are exposed to the allergens, so it is important to seek the right treatment to help you manage your symptoms.
Learn more on the hayfever treatments that are available
References
  1. Asthma Australia. Asthma and hay fever. Available at: https://asthma.org.au/triggers/hay-fever-and-pollen/ Accessed: August 2024.
  2. Health Direct. Hay fever (allergic rhinitis). Available at: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/hay-fever#symptoms Accessed: August 2024.
  3. American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Hay fever. Available at: https://acaai.org/allergies/allergic-conditions/hay-fever/ Accessed: August 2024.
  4. Mayo Clinic. Hay fever. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hay-fever/symptoms-causes/syc-20373039 Accessed: August 2024.
  5. News in Health (NIH). Cold, flu, or allergy? Know the difference for best treatment. Available from: https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2014/10/cold-flu-or-allergy Accessed: August 2024.
  6. Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Rhinitis (nasal allergies). Available at: https://aafa.org/allergies/allergy-symptoms/rhinitis-nasal-allergy-hayfever/ Accessed: August 2024.