"Life-Threatening July, Fatal August, Deadly September"—this is the hard-earned experience of allergic rhinitis patients. So, what exactly is allergic rhinitis? How can it be prevented? And if already affected, how should it be treated? The following content will provide you with an updated understanding of allergic rhinitis.
Allergic rhinitis, also referred to as allergic rhinitis or hay fever, is a common condition caused by the interplay of genetic and environmental factors. This disease is characterized by an exaggerated immune response to specific substances in the environment, such as pollen, dust mites, and other allergens, leading to chronic inflammation of the nasal mucosa. The hallmark symptoms include paroxysmal sneezing, copious watery nasal discharge, and nasal congestion. The onset of allergic rhinitis can be closely linked to genetic predisposition, while environmental allergens—such as fungal spores, dust mites, pet dander, and certain foods—can serve as triggering factors. This condition may persist year-round (perennial) or worsen during specific seasons (seasonal), with symptom duration potentially ranging from several weeks to months. A diagnosis of allergic rhinitis is likely if two or more of the following symptoms are present: watery nasal discharge, nasal itching, nasal obstruction, and sneezing, occurring for at least one hour daily or cumulatively over a day, coupled with positive allergen testing.
Many patients often struggle to differentiate between the symptoms of allergic rhinitis and those of a common cold, leading them to mistakenly treat allergic rhinitis as a cold. This misdiagnosis can result in persistent symptoms such as nasal congestion, sneezing, and runny nose that recur and do not resolve, ultimately delaying the best time for effective treatment. Allergic rhinitis can persist year-round or worsen during the same period each year, with symptoms lasting for several weeks to months. Colds can occur at any time of the year but are more common in spring and winter. Symptoms typically do not last longer than 7-10 days. Allergic rhinitis does not cause fever, throat irritation, or general malaise, but colds do. Allergic rhinitis is mostly accompanied by itchy eyes or nose, and colds are generally absent. And allergic rhinitis runny nose is watery nose, cold is white at the beginning, and then it will become yellowish green sticky nose.
So what should patients with allergic rhinitis do to alleviate their pain?
We can do from the following points: 1. Reduce the indoor relative humidity (keep the room dry and ventilated); 2. Timely clean bedding and clothing; 3. Reduce the proportion of fluffy items in the room; 4. You can use an air purifier or mite remover. Then allergic rhinitis patients have to do a good job of daily nasal care, you can flush the nasal cavity with normal saline. Nasal irrigation with saline is a simple and cost-effective treatment that can humidify, remove obstructive mucus and crusty skin to improve breathing quickly, and repair damaged nasal mucocilia. However, when using saline to clean the nasal cavity, we must pay attention to closing the breath as much as possible to avoid coughing caused by inhaling saline.
First of all, know your allergen, if it is pollen allergy, then you should wear a mask when you go out in spring and autumn to reduce the way of exposure to allergens. If you are allergic to dust mites, then you should follow three principles: 1. Reduce the number of dust mites alive; 2. Reduce dust mite allergens around you; 3. Reduce your activity in dust mite environments.
Finally, it is about the drug treatment of allergic rhinitis. H1 antihistamines are the first choice for the treatment of mild intermittent rhinitis and persistent rhinitis, and the common ones are cetirizine, loratadine, levocarbastine nasal spray, etc. However, you need to consult a medical professional before taking any medications.
