Teenage hayfever

Young people who suffer from hayfever while taking exams are 40 per cent more likely to drop a grade between their mock exam and their final exams. This figure rises to 70 per cent if they are taking a sedating antihistamine.

This is the finding of new research conducted by the charity Education for Health, together with the University of Edinburgh and Imperial College, London, involving almost 2,000 students.

Lead investigator Samantha Walker commented: “Patients and health professionals need to understand that having hayfever could cause their children to perform less well in their exams and that effective treatments are widely available from their GP, practice nurse or pharmacist.”