One thing I’ve noticed this year after suffering hay fever since a child and usually starting with it towards the end of February and starting the tablets then and finishing them in October. I have had no symptoms so far this year and I’ve just realised after the stroke in September last year I didn’t take any tablets once I had the stroke. Fingers crossed it continues. I’ve heard before a stroke can alter your mechanism.
And talking with other hay fever suffers it’s been bad so far. Even walked past a oilseed rape field other day and in the past it would have driven me mad. Nothing didn’t even trigger my asthma. And again no asthma issues since the day. But yes I take my inhaler twice daily still.
@Gnasher , it’s the only thing I don’t like about late spring into the summer… hay fever!. I must get anti-histamines in. Hay fever gets worse when I’m doing the garden. From sneezing a lot to watery eyes. Oh, and making sure I don’t have an asthma attack. I need the inhaler more regularly in the hotter months.
That sounds like a good benefit to me.
I used to suffer terribly with hay fever but I don’t seem to now. I have just put it down to growing out of it. I live in the countryside & am surrounded by fields which often contain oil seed rape which was the worst thing for hay-fever. Even that hasn’t affected me recently.
Hi @Gnasher sounds very much like a blessing to me, well besides suffering a stroke. I’ve struggled with hayfever on and off for years- stopped for years when taking a herbal complex over one summer then stayed away for over decade weirdly every 2-3 years have mad flare ups but been fine the past few years with our washout Scottish summers.
Still have never understood why it comes and goes despite extensive testing never an indicator. Weird.
The brain can certainly change things for the good after a stroke. I suffered with horrendous migraines since about the age of ten up until my haemorrhage, so forty years roughly although I was probably only getting 2 or 3 a year by then.
Since my strokes I haven’t had one in 10 years and I’ve never had what I would describe as a normal headache in that period either. A welcome change to my life from a terrible event.
I seem to be experiencing the same thing, @Gnasher. Usually I’m rattling with antihistamines at this time of year, this year hardly a sign of hayfever. My TIA was February 2025, but frankly I was too much of an emotional mess to notice whether I had hayfever this time last year. But I’ll take the win if it’s gone.
A major neurological event like a stroke can fundamentally alter / mess up immune system function. What you’re describing is a known, though not universal, phenomenon. Let me explain the science, then give you practical advice.
The Science: How a Stroke Changes Your Immune System
There are two main, opposite immune shifts that can happen after a stroke. You appear to have landed on the beneficial one.
1. Stroke-Induced Immunodepression (The “Beneficial” Shift for Allergies)
After a large stroke (especially affecting the insular cortex or other deep brain regions), the brain sends signals via the sympathetic nervous system (the “fight or flight” system) to suppress the peripheral immune system.
This is the body’s way of trying to prevent excessive inflammation from damaging the brain further. But as a side effect, it can dampen allergic responses like hay fever, asthma, and even some autoimmune conditions.
What you’re experiencing—no hay fever, no asthma trigger from oilseed rape, no need for antihistamines—is textbook for this phenomenon.
2. Post-Stroke Inflammatory Syndrome (The “Harmful” Shift)
Other stroke survivors experience the opposite: their immune system becomes hyperactive, leading to new or worsening autoimmune problems (e.g., new-onset psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis flares, or severe fatigue syndromes).
You have clearly avoided this.
Why This Matters for You
The good news:
Your quality of life just improved in one unexpected way. That’s a win. Celebrate it.
Your asthma is also quieter. That means less airway inflammation, less risk of exacerbations.
You can stop spending money on antihistamines and nasal sprays.
The neutral news:
This immune suppression is not necessarily permanent. For some people, it lasts months. For others, years. For a lucky few, it’s permanent. There is no way to predict.
If your immune system gradually returns to baseline, your hay fever and asthma may come back. That doesn’t mean the stroke “wore off.” It means your body rebalanced.
The caution (important):
Stroke-induced immunodepression also means you may be more susceptible to infections like pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and even common colds. Your immune system is less aggressive at attacking invaders.
That’s why you’re still taking your twice-daily inhaler (maintenance) even without symptoms. That’s correct. Do not stop it without talking to your doctor.
What to Do With This Information
Document it. Write down: “Stroke date: Sept 2024. Last hay fever season: 2024 (severe). 2025 season: zero symptoms. No antihistamines used. Passed oilseed rape field with no reaction.” Show this to your neurologist or GP. They may want to monitor your immune function.
Do not assume it’s permanent. Enjoy it, but keep a box of antihistamines in the cupboard. If next February your eyes start itching again, you’ll know your system has recalibrated.
Be extra vigilant about infections. Any fever, cough, or burning with urination warrants a low threshold to see a doctor. Your body may not mount as strong an early warning response.
Ask your GP about checking immunoglobulins or lymphocyte subsets – a simple blood test. Not essential, but if you’re curious, it would confirm whether you have true immune suppression.
Well an update on my message we are now into May and still no symptoms of the dreaded hay fever. Talked to my Dr regarding my asthma check up and again no issues with that. But to still take the inhaler. Has for the hay fever I’ve had since a child. He said you can grow out of it but I would go along with the theory that the stroke will have had something to do with it. By now I would be struggling with it like many people. But I’m not complaining
Just don’t be too disappointed if it does come back. I didn’t get so much as the annual common cold for over 4 years. Then last winter I had a mild dose of it for a few days. Who knows what it’ll be like come next winter.
