The huge impact hay fever can have on your child's exam results, explained by Manchester hay fever expert

Summer exams are well underway, but hay fever could be having a greater impact on students' results than many of them - and their parents and teachers - think. As the sun hits Greater Manchester, thousands are struggling with pollen allergies, and one leading Manchester allergist has explained just how detrimental it can be on young people.

The Manchester Evening News spoke to Dr Susana Marinho, a Consultant Allergist and Clinical Lead of the Allergy Service at Wythenshawe Hospital. Exactly why people begin to suffer hay fever - is ‘the million dollar question’, she says.

The effect it can have is visible, according to studies on the subject, as not only did students suffer the impact of their symptoms but treatments, rather than helping, can actually adding to the problem. However, there are a few pointers to ways that allergy sufferers can get relief that affect their cognitive performance less.

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Allergies of any kind can show up regardless of age and could happen at any point of exposure to the allergen, says Dr Marinho. Babies, for example, will not develop allergies to pollen until they have been exposed to enough of it.

But we now live in an age of an 'allergy epidemic', according to the consultant. Increased cleanliness and use of antibiotics appear to contribute to the immune system's development of allergies, compared to people who are exposed to infections more frequently.

Another big factor contributing to a pollen allergy is genetics, as people with relatives who have hay fever are more predisposed to suffering with it themselves. "What we do know is that there isn't a single one size fits all kind of