Allergic Rhinitis

Allergic rhinitis is a disease mediated by the body’s defense system, causing symptoms such as sneezing, itching, difficulty breathing, and/or runny nose. It occurs as a reaction to allergenic substances and can cause seasonal or year-round symptoms depending on the allergen. The immune system of people with allergic rhinitis is hypersensitive to harmless substances called allergens.

Reasons

Allergic rhinitis may occur over a while (for example, seasonally during the pollen season) or continuously. An allergic runny nose that continues throughout the year may usually trigger by house dust mites, pet dander, or mold fungus. About 75% of seasonal allergic rhinitis sufferers react to inhaled flower and grass pollen from plants, more precisely to the protein components of the pollen. Although rare, certain foods can also cause allergic rhinitis. On the other hand, many allergy sufferers also show allergic reactions to certain types of food. In these cases, cross-allergy is mentioned. For example, people suffering from pollen allergies may have an allergic reaction to stone fruit types such as peaches, plums, pears, and cherries.

Symptoms

A runny nose is the main symptom of allergic rhinitis. In addition to a runny nose, and itchy nose can manifest itself in the form of frequent sneezing. Redness, itching, tears may occur in the eyes. Again, burning and itching affecting the mouth and throat are among the symptoms. Other symptoms include dry cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, itchy ears, skin rash, redness, rash, fatigue, headache.

Allergic rhinitis is a common illness.

20% of adults and 13% of children suffer from pollen allergy. If other allergens take into account, we can say approximately 20% of children and 25% of adults are affected by the disease in general.

Does allergic rhinitis cause other problems?

If allergic rhinitis doesn’t treat, it can lead to serious secondary diseases. Inflammation caused by allergic rhinitis can spread to the lower respiratory tract. Allergic rhinitis is one of the most risk factors for the development of bronchial asthma. The disease can cause permanent damage to the nasal mucosa. For these reasons, it is vital to treat allergic rhinitis at an early stage with appropriate methods such as anti-allergic nasal sprays, eye drops, or tablets.

How can allergic rhinitis be treated?

The first and most important treatment method for allergic rhinitis is to avoid related allergens. However, the applicability of this situation is often difficult. Treatment with medications such as oral antihistamines along with antiallergic nasal sprays may be effective. Since antiallergic nasal sprays do not contain any preservatives, they can be well tolerated by the body. Allergen-specific desensitization should be considered at an early stage, especially when the first signs of transition to bronchial asthma are. Surgical intervention may be beneficial if nasal breathing is obstructed due to an irregular nasal septum or if there are changes in the nasal mucosa such as polyps, enlarged nasal turbinates.

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