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Allergic rhinitis, which most of us know as “hay fever”, refers to the reactions to specific allergens. This disease, which may have an effect on people of all ages, can be observed periodically or throughout the year.
Rhinitis is an inflammation of the nose. The occurrence of nasal inflammation and symptoms due to nasal obstruction coming into contact with allergens is called allergic rhinitis. Nasal obstruction and various problems due to nasal obstruction may occur in patients who come into contact with allergenic substances. Allergic rhinitis, which reduces the quality of life and adversely affects general health, may arise from different causes.
“Secondary horizontal line called “allergicSign” and possibly due to allergy-induced itching is seen in the back of the nose of patients with allergic rhinitis. This line is the nasal skin finding in the diagnosis of AR; during the endoscopic examination, the symptoms such as bright transparent discharge in the nose, swelling and violet-colored appearance of the concha also suggest the presence of allergic rhinitis.”
Allergic rhinitis symptoms may vary from person to person. The most common symptoms of allergic rhinitis include sneezing, nasal obstruction, coughing, extreme fatigue, watering of eyes, snoring due to nasal obstruction, and dark-colored circles under the eyes.
I would like to give a brief explanation about allergy development before going through the causes of allergic rhinitis. Our body has an incredible mechanism programmed to protect itself. However, it may be very aggressive from time to time. In some cases, the substances that we smell, contact, and consume as food are perceived as harmful substances by our body. Considering that it will be damaged, the body sends its soldiers, called histamine, to fight those substances. Reactions such as sneezing, watering of eyes, nasal obstruction and itching occur in this process where our body becomes a complete battlefield.
Based on this information, I can specify the causes of allergic rhinitis as follows;
Apart from the causes of allergic rhinitis I have mentioned, I can state that risk factors such as air pollution, smoking, exposure to chemicals, cold and humid air, and the use of cosmetic products also trigger allergic rhinitis.
Factors causing allergic rhinitis also provide different classification of allergic rhinitis. For example, I can talk about “seasonal allergic rhinitis” if the patient’s allergy symptoms appear due to pollens, during the periods when pollens are intense in the atmosphere, and “year-round perennial allergic rhinitis” if her/his symptoms are triggered by allergens such as house dust mites.
Allergic rhinitis can be seasonal or continue throughout the year. Although there are different treatment methods for allergic rhinitis, the main purpose of all treatments is to prevent the symptoms caused by the disease and to manage the disease in the most general way. Therefore, the administration of the combined treatments will give the most effective result, after the causes and type of allergic rhinitis are determined.
Treatment of allergic rhinitis is planned according to the type of allergen and the complaints of the person. In addition to allergy medications, decongestants and allergy shots, nasal and throat sprays can also be used to treat allergic rhinitis to reduce the severity of symptoms. For allergic rhinitis that continues throughout the year, patients need to change their lifestyle and household items.
Treatment of allergic rhinitis should never be neglected. Otherwise, serious performance decreases may occur in business or school life in addition to health problems such as sleep disorders, asthma, recurrent ear infections, chronic sinusitis, and headache due to symptoms.
Op. Dr. Hünkar BatıkhanKulak Burun Boğaz Hastalıkları Uzmanı