ALLERGY RHINITIS

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Allergic Rhinitis - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment 



Allergy flare-ups can be a true nuisance and cause you to miss out on your favorite activities. But what if the runny nose and sore throat you have lasts year-round? 


Many people are not aware of allergic rhinitis or what we commonly refer to as hay fever.


Let us understand how to spot signs of allergic rhinitis, screening procedures, and treatment options to help alleviate your symptoms.




What is Allergic Rhinitis?


Allergic Rhinitis is an inflammatory condition that affects the nasal passages, sinuses, ears, and throat. It is also known as hay fever. It occurs when an allergic person inhales allergens to which they are sensitive. Allergens are substances that cause an allergic reaction in our body and create a sense of discomfort.  Common allergens include pollens, dust mites, animal dander, mold, medications, insect venoms, and various food products. 


Nasal allergy is swelling inside the nasal layers. During an infection or allergy-induced irritation, the nasal mucosa becomes swollen and red, and it may produce fluid that drips out. 


The most common symptoms of allergic rhinitis are:


  • Nasal congestion

  • Runny nose

  • Repeated sneezing

  • Itchiness in nose

  • Blockages alongside the nose

  • Itchy and watery eyes

  • Sinus pressure

  • Headaches

  • Cough

  • Sore throat

  • Snoring



Let us see what causes seasonal allergic rhinitis?


As we discussed earlier, Nasal allergy occurs when an allergic person comes in contact with the allergens to which he is sensitive. Allergic rhinitis is seasonal but it can be perennial as well. Allergic rhinitis can occur in any season be it spring, summer, or early phase of the autumn. Seasonal allergic rhinitis is caused by the atmospheric presence of allergens that could be anything right from the type of plants in your surroundings to the airborne mould spores. Perennial allergic rhinitis can be caused due to hair of pet animals and moulds , in addition to that insects like cockroaches and dust mites are also responsible for causing perennial allergic rhinitis. 


Nasal allergy is the most common type of allergy amongst all other types of allergy-like food allergy, asthma, drug allergy, anaphylaxis, etc. 


Allergic rhinitis is one of the most common allergic diseases worldwide, affecting about 10-25% of the population. 

20 – 30% 0f the Indian population suffers from Allergic Rhinitis 



Differences Between Colds and Allergies








Diagnosis And Treatment

Allergic rhinitis is diagnosed after a physical examination, evaluating the history of symptoms and blood tests, CT SCAN PNS, X-Ray chest, and most importantly allergy tests. Doctors can identify allergy rhinitis by the patient's clinical history. 


  1. Prevention from allergy, The best way to prevent these allergies is to avoid the allergens, use of non-sedating antihistamines, use a nasal spray to prevent nasal inflammation. A primary precaution would be to ensure that the entry of pollen grains is kept restricted. If one is traveling in public transport, use a safety mask to cover your face, especially the nose. Avoidance of smoke, pollution, avoid the use of fragrance, use of sunglasses can be helpful against the risks of allergens exposure in open places. Keeping the surroundings clean is essential to bar the growth of dust mites and moulds. Animals can be exposed to allergens because of their free spirit, limit contact with stray animals, and properly wash your hands after playing with your pets.


  1. In the case of recurrent allergy, pollinosis and dust allergy oral sublingual immunotherapy are long-term options to treat allergic rhinitis for usually two to three years. Most patients start seeing an improvement of symptoms between six months and one year. Symptoms are controlled and the use of medicines is minimized with this method. 

  2. Pharmacotherapy 

Use of antiallergic medications to suppress the immune response to allergy. 

  1. Immunotherapy 

Use of allergy shots in the body to make the body familiar to the allergen 

  1. Use of Intranasal Sprays


METHOD OF INTRANASAL SPRAYS - 




Allergic rhinitis has a huge impact on our day to day lifestyle. They affect our sleeping patterns and lead to disturbed sleep which results in tiresome and poor performance at the workplace, etc. Also avoiding and ignoring nasal allergies increases the risk of Asthma and can lead to nasal polyposis and poor quality of life. 


Home treatments can not cure these allergies completely. It’s very important to check these symptoms and seek professional help. 


In case you are suffering from any kind of allergy or want to know more about allergies you can contact me. 


It would be a pleasure to help anybody in need. 


Dr. Pramod Jhawar  

Jhawar Chest, Allergy, Asthma & Bronchoscopy, Sleep Study Centre 

Call - 9827033089, 9424611137, 0731-2560011   
Location: Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India

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