Summer 2017 Newsletter

Children & Young People’s Allergy Network Scotland

Introduction Welcome to the second edition of CYANS 2017 Newsletter. This issue will update on CYANS busy start to 2017 and look towards summer with some links to advice for managing your allergies during the summer holidays and some tips on managing seasonal allergic rhinitis.

CYANS aim to keep you up to date with latest news and publications through our website. We also share information on

upcoming events and registrations. Keep an eye out for latest updates and please get in touch if you have any ideas,

content or articles to include. You can also subscribe to our mailing list through the ‘contact us’ page.

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Allergy and Free From Show 2017 CYANS were delighted to exhibit at the Allergy and Free From Show 11-12th March in Glasgow and particularly delighted to see so many of you there. Over the course of the weekend we met and chatted with hundreds of visitors and hope we were able to offer some guidance, support and resources to help you manage your allergies. We were focusing on the theme of transition from Early Years, School Years and The Young Adult with some handy leaflets on managing your allergies at School, example school care plans, a young adults experience of living with allergies at university and information from our third sector partners, Allergy UK and the Anaphylaxis Campaign.

@cyans_nhs

CYANS were also tweeting throughout the day and

gained a number of new followers.

CYANS Annual Paediatric Study Day Stirling 2nd March 2017

CYANS held a successful educational study day in

Stirling on the 2nd

March 2017.

The programme included topical presentations on

early peanut introduction in clinical practice,

prescribing auto injectors, the psychological impact

of allergies, the challenges of transition in severe

allergy and four workshops covering practical

management of allergy and interactive allergy

cases. Over 100 attendees participated with

feedback from 95% of attendees indicating the

event met their expectations.

‘Excellent meeting, very well organised with a

great range of presentations’

‘Excellent day. Great variety of speakers all

passionate about their subjects’

‘Asthma workshop was great!’

Primary Care Allergy Training March 2017 We are pleased to be continuing our successful

programme of Primary Care Allergy Training for

GPs in Scotland.

In March we delivered two sessions, the first in

Glasgow on 8th March, and a second at QMH

Dunfermline on 21st March. Feedback for this

training has been consistently positive and we

hope to continue this training across Scotland

through 2017 and beyond.

Feedback from the day:

‘Better able to counsel patients with allergies. Better able to diagnose. Know where to go for resources for myself or patients’ ‘All was great, able to interact and ask. Able to apply knowledge from online resources’ ‘More likely to refer to paediatrics, more confident in prescribing epipen and greater awareness of treatment options’

‘To register interest in upcoming training please

click here

Health Care Professionals

CYANS new website is now live at

www.cyans.org.uk .

The website, now hosted on WordPress has a

new look in keeping with the NHS Scotland

brand guidelines while retaining content, links

and the unique CYANS identity from the

original website and will be improved and

adapted over time with new content and

functionality. We welcome feedback and ideas

for the websites improvement so please do not

hesitate to get in touch via the ‘contact us’

page.

CYANS New Website

Safe Travel with Allergy Planning a holiday when dealing with food allergies can be time consuming and sometimes scary. Dr Clifford Bassett from Allergy and Asthma Care of New York outlines some hints and tips to consider when travelling with food allergies. ( CYANS has adapted these for UK patients and families)

Useful links: Summer Travel Tips with Dr. Clifford Bassett

Allergy UK– Quick Guide to Holidays

Anaphylaxis Campaign– Travelling Advice

There are many websites that will help with travel planning. CYANS would recommend starting with Allergy UK or The Anaphylaxis Campaign websites which have travel tips, instructions, videos and helpful reminders especially for those with life-threatening allergies.

Symptoms of hay fever include:

Sneezing,

Runny , blocked, stuffy Nose

Itchy, inflamed eyes/ and or

sinuses

What causes hay fever?

The most common allergen causing

hay fever are;

Grass pollen which occurs from the

end of spring through to August.

Tree pollen, which can be found from

February through to June,

Weed pollen in the autumn period,

June through September.

Note - Hay fever which occurs at

certain times of the year can be

referred to as seasonal allergic

rhinitis.

Do I need to have tests?

Some individuals may have skin

prick testing to identify the allergens

but it is generally accepted that hay

fever is very common and usually

testing is not required for mild,

simple hay fever.

Managing Hay Fever Hay fever, also known as seasonal allergic rhinitis, is where someone reacts to an inhaled allergen, commonly pollen which causes inflammation of the nose and can affect anyone at any age but more common in older children than younger.

Check if you have Hay Fever

Treatment

Hay fever is most commonly treated with antihistamines which reduce the effects of histamine in the body. These are readily available over the counter or via a GP with a recommended daily dose. Non drowsy medication is preferred if possible. For troublesome symptoms a steroid nasal spray and/or eye drops may be required as an additional treatment.

Self help tips

Avoiding air borne allergens such as pollen can be difficult but there are measures that people can take to reduce the impact.

The use of a saline nasal wash (douching)

can help remove pollen; use of a barrier balm

at the edge of each nostril prior to exposure

can help block pollen being inhaled.

Keep windows closed when indoors or in the

car

Wear wrap around sunglasses and a wide

brimmed hat to keep pollen allergen away

from the face and eyes

Showering and changing clothes after

exposure as well as ensuring clothing is dried

indoors can also help reduce exposure.

Keeping check on the weather forecast and

being prepared for high pollen days

www.cyans.org.uk

nss.cyans@nhs.net @cyans_nhs Or, contact us at