'Instant' hay fever relief

A new treatment could bring almost instant relief for Britain's 13million hay fever sufferers.

The nasal spray is said to have produced 'spectacular' results in its first patient trials.

The breakthrough will delight victims of the condition, many of whom claim that existing treatments are either slow-acting or not reliably effective.

Professor Harold Nelson of the University of Colorado, an authority on allergic disease, said the spray could be 'the perfect treatment'. He said: 'This drug is truly novel, not just because it works quickly, but because it works at the root of the problem.'

Hay fever happens when the body treats harmless pollen or other substances as dangerous attackers.

The immune system releases chemicals such as histamine to attack the invader.

As these chemicals build up they irritate mucus membranes in the sinuses and nose, causing sneezing, constriction of the airwaysand aching and watery eyes. Conventional hay fever treatments work by stopping the effects on the membranes.

The new spray, currently codenamed R112, is designed to prevent histamine and the other chemicals being produced in the first place.

It does this by blocking the action of immune system cells called mast cells - the ones which trigger the chemical chain of events.

Professor Nelson said: 'Present anti-histamine treatments work on the chemicals that cause symptoms. This drug stops the production of all of them within 15 seconds.'

Rigel Pharmaceuticals, the California company which is developing R112, hopes to have the drug available within five years.

Britain has the highest hay fever rate in the world, with almost a quarter of the population affected. East Anglia is the worst region.

Most sufferers use anti-histamines or eye drops, but in severe cases they are treated with immunotherapy, where doctors inject tiny amounts of pollen to help build up immunity.

During the summer peak almost one in ten victims lose as much as three hours of the working day to their symptoms, and one in four takes time off work. The annual cost to the NHS is estimated at £1billion.

The problem is relatively new and increasing fast. In the 1980s only one in eight people were affected, while hay fever was unheard of 200 years ago.

Experts say that the increase may be due to higher modern standards of cleanliness, which means children are exposed to fewer bacteria and other substances which would build up their immune systems.