Allergic rhinitis can occur seasonally or year-round (a form of year-round rhinitis). Seasonal rhinitis is common due to allergies. At least 25% of year-round rhinitis is not caused by allergies.
Seasonal allergic rhinitis (allergic rhinitis) is most often caused by plant allergens, and substances that change with the season and geographical location. Common plant allergens include:
Spring: Grassy trees (e.g., oak, swing, maple, birch, juniper, olive)
Summer: Grass pollen (e.g., Bermuda, cattail, spring stevia orchard, Johnson) and weed pollen (e.g., Russian chrysanthemum, English cherry)
Autumn: Other weed pollen (e.g., ambrozi grass Causes also vary by region, and seasonal allergic rhinitis is occasionally caused by airborne mold spores.
Persistent rhinitis is caused by exposure around inhaled indoor allergens (e.g., cat feces, cockroach parts, animals) or by a very strong reaction to successive seasonal pollen.
Allergic rhinitis and asthma are often comorbid;Rhinitis and asthma are both the result of an allergic process (both respiratory) or rhinitis is only a paroxysmal factor causing unclear asthma.
Many perennial forms of hypoallergenic rhinitis include infectious, vasomotor, drug-induced diseases (e.g., caused by aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and allergic rhinitis and non-allergic rhinitis with eosinophilia (NARES).
Symptoms and signs of allergic rhinitis
The patient has itching (in the nose, eyes, or mouth), sneezing, runny nose, and nasal and sinus congestion. Sinus congestion can cause frontal headaches; Sinusitis is a common complication. Coughing and wheezing may also occur, especially if the patient has asthma.
The most striking feature of year-round rhinitis is chronic nasal congestion, which, in children, can lead to chronic otitis media; Symptoms vary in severity throughout the year. Itching does not stand out from seasonal rhinitis. Chronic sinusitis and nasal polyps may progress.
Diagnosis of allergic rhinitis
Clinical evaluation Sometimes skin tests, allergy-specific serum IgE tests, or both Allergic rhinitis can usually be diagnosed based on a medical history. Diagnostic testing is usually not necessary unless the patient does not improve with empirical treatment; Such patients, whose skin tests determine the reaction to pollen (seasonal) or cat feces, cockroaches, wildlife, mold, or other antigens (perennials), may be used to guide additional treatment.
Sometimes, skin test results are incompatible, or impossible (for example, because the patient is taking medications that affect the results and cannot safely pause the medication); then allergen-specific serum IgE evaluation should be performed.
Treatment of allergic rhinitis
- Antihistamines
- Medicines for nasal congestion
- Aerosol corticosteroids
For seasonal or severe persistent rhinitis that is difficult to treat, desensitization is sometimes required. Treatment of seasonal and year-round allergic rhinitis is generally the same, although those that eliminate or avoid allergens (e.g. remove ticks and cockroaches) are recommended for year-round rhinitis. For intractable or severe seasonal rhinitis, desensitizing immunotherapy may work.