Stuffy nose, runny nose, itchy nose, sneezing …… to know that it may not be a cold.
The 4 typical symptoms of allergic rhinitis are nasal congestion, runny nose, itchy nose and sneezing. These symptoms are correlated with colds, so many allergic rhinitis patients usually mistake them for colds and take only simple cold medications to treat themselves, resulting in a delay in proper diagnosis and treatment. Many patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis often come to seek medical help only in the second year of the attack, when previously the patients thought it was a stubborn cold or a fever, and even many doctors are not aware of this and do not advise patients to go to a rhinologist. In fact, the diagnosis can be confirmed by going to the hospital for allergen tests and nasal secretion smears.
In the early stage of the onset of cold, itching, foreign body sensation or burning sensation appears in the nasal cavity and nasopharynx, often accompanied by fatigue, headache, chill, loss of appetite and other systemic symptoms, and later nasal congestion increases, especially at night, sneezing, and nasal discharge turns from clear snot to mucopurulent. The duration of the disease is short, usually 7 to l0 days. The examination shows that the nasal mucosa is widely congested and swollen, and a small amount of watery snot can be seen in the early stage, and thin purulent secretion can be seen in the nasal passage in the later stage. Lymphocytes are seen in the early nasal secretion picture and later become mucopurulent with a large number of neutrophils.
In 2001, the World Health Organization divided allergic rhinitis into intermittent and persistent from the duration of symptoms; according to the severity of mild and moderate severity, mild allergic rhinitis does not have a great impact on patients’ lives, while moderate severity has interfered with patients’ lives, leading to a decrease in quality of life, lower work efficiency, lower academic performance, affecting sleep and entertainment, and patients are very distressed. The otolaryngology branch of the Chinese Medical Association proposes to adapt to the actual situation in China in the clinical work still uses the traditional classification of seasonal and perennial, and perennial allergic rhinitis has symptoms all year round. The symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis are more serious, with fixed seasonal attacks every year, making patients suffer. The main triggers of seasonal allergic rhinitis are weeds, wildflower pollen, Artemisia pollen, quinoa, and ragweed pollen.
However, in recent years, due to the acceleration of industrialization, atmospheric pollution has intensified, so that people who were not allergic have evolved into allergic. The increase in the number of vehicles, diesel exhaust aromatizing particles and accelerate the occurrence of allergic inflammatory reactions. There are also formaldehyde caused by home renovation. They are not allergens but become a strong stimulus for seasonal allergic rhinitis attacks.
Unlike adult allergic rhinitis, the signs and symptoms of children’s cases are mostly atypical, mainly manifesting as runny nose, which is more easily confused with cold. Therefore, parents should pay attention to their children and detect the early signs in time.
Allergic rhinitis, if left untreated, can cause sinusitis, otitis media, nasal polyps, bronchial asthma, etc. And almost all patients with allergic rhinitis suffer from conjunctivitis. There is a close association between asthma and allergic rhinitis. About 78% of patients with asthma also have allergic rhinitis, compared to about 15% in the general population; 38% of patients with allergic rhinitis have bronchial asthma, compared to 2-5% in the general population. These data suggest a correlation between the two, and allergic rhinitis can be considered a small problem with a big danger. Patients with allergic rhinitis who actively treat their rhinitis symptoms will have a significant secondary effect on the control and treatment of their asthma; and vice versa, by actively treating their asthma, the symptoms of allergic rhinitis may be significantly reduced or relieved. In general, it is considered that allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma are processes that occur in different parts of the same type of disease (allergic reactive diseases) and need to be treated together. Allergic diseases are systemic diseases and patients should pay attention to them and think about the connection between them so that they will be better managed.
Not everyone gets allergic rhinitis, it usually occurs specifically in people with allergic constitution. And allergic constitution is genetically related, usually due to heredity. Therefore, most people with allergic rhinitis have a family history of allergies, except that it differs from other genetic diseases in that it is not the same disease that is inherited, but rather the allergic constitution, so that not all rhinitis occurs, some manifest as asthma, etc. Allergic rhinitis is not innate, but is a “long march”: it manifests itself as eczema in infancy, and develops into hives, bronchial asthma, and allergic rhinitis as we grow older.
Prevent seasonal allergic rhinitis in three ways.
First, avoid contact with allergens. The common allergens are dust, mites, fungi, animal fur, feathers, etc.
Second, desensitization treatment. That is, a small number of times gradually increase the injection dose of allergens (such as pollen) until the patient’s body produces antibodies. The treatment time is usually 3-5 years.
Third, drug treatment. Effective and safe, once-daily medication takes primacy in treatment, especially for seasonal allergic rhinitis. The main drugs currently available for the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis are.
1. antihistamines (preferred drugs), which help to reduce the edema of the nasal mucosa and can reduce the symptoms of runny nose and sneezing.
2.Topical nasal steroids (first-line drugs), used for mild persistent, moderate to severe intermittent, moderate to severe persistent patients, topical glucocorticoid drugs can play a strong anti-inflammatory role in the nasal cavity and relieve the symptoms of runny nose, nasal congestion, nasal itching and sneezing.
3. mast cell membrane stabilizers (no side effects, suitable for pediatric and mild patients).
4. decongestants and anticholinergics, which can rapidly reduce nasal congestion and relieve nasal blockage, but can cause drug rhinitis with long-term application, and can only be used as short-term adjuvant drugs, mostly for children over 6 years old.
5. Leukotriene antagonists (new drugs) can also effectively relieve nasal congestion, runny nose and eye symptoms, and can be used in combination with other drugs.
In addition, stepwise medication should be administered according to the classification of allergic rhinitis and applied continuously for a longer period of time. If you can choose the appropriate medication according to age and master the correct usage, the side effects are rare and do not hinder the growth and development of children.
Special note: For seasonal allergic rhinitis medication should be used 2-3 weeks in advance, and after the season, medication should not be stopped immediately, but should be continued for about 2 weeks.
16 precautions to prevent allergic rhinitis.
1. Actively treat children who already have other allergic diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, to prevent allergic rhinitis from occurring.
2. Actively prevent and treat acute respiratory diseases to avoid triggering an allergic rhinitis attack.
3.Eliminate indoor dust mites, wash bedding with hot water every week and dry it with a hot dryer or dry it in the sunlight to make it dry.
4.Bedding is best to use anti-mite material products, get up every day to fold the quilt.
5.Use less stuffed or plush toys, carpets and tapestries, and put as little furniture as possible indoors.
6.Keep indoor dry and ventilated, and pay attention to reduce indoor plants.
7, no pets, existing pets must be placed outside the house or outside the bedroom, and often give pets a bath.
8.The home should be thoroughly cleaned regularly to eliminate cockroaches.
9.Do not smoke indoors, avoid taking children to smoking public places, and get regular flu shots.
10. Take the affected children out less during the pollen season, especially when there is wind, and especially reduce or even avoid outdoor activities.
11. It is better not to use air conditioners in the living room during the sensitive season, pay attention to closing windows, reduce the number of window openings, and try to use air filters.
12.It is best to wear a mask when you go out, and to take a shower after returning to wash away the pollen that falls on your head and clothes.
13.It is best to dry the washed clothes in the dryer.
14, life should be regular, balanced diet, strengthen physical exercise, enhance physical fitness.
15.From a young age, exercise the little ones to wash their faces with cold water, so that the skin is often stimulated to increase local blood circulation and keep the nasal cavity ventilated.
16.The method of simply avoiding allergens is sometimes not effective, parents need to take the affected child to seek help from the doctor and take medication and immunotherapy under the guidance of the doctor.