Patients with allergic rhinitis have an atopic constitution and usually show family aggregation. The constitution cannot be changed, but patients can learn about the disease and manage it with a scientific, long-term program to improve quality of life and avoid complications such as sinusitis and nasal polyps.
Typical symptoms
The typical symptoms of allergic rhinitis are mainly paroxysmal sneezing, clear watery nose, nasal congestion and nasal itching. Some of them are accompanied by loss of sense of smell.
1.Sneezing: several paroxysmal attacks several times a day, more than 3 each time, mostly in the morning or at night or immediately after contact with allergens.
2.Clear nasal discharge: large amount of clear water-like nasal discharge, sometimes unconsciously dripping down from the nostrils.
3.Nasal congestion: intermittent or continuous, unilateral or bilateral, varying in severity.
4.Itchy nose: most patients have itchy nose, hay fever patients may have itchy eyes, itchy ears and itchy throat.
5.Examination: pale mucous membrane of the tip of the nose, edema of both inferior turbinates, clear or mucous snot can be seen in the common nasal tract and nasal floor.
Treatment of allergic rhinitis.
Avoid exposure to allergens
①The number of dust mites indoors should preferably be <20/m2 only; maintain the relative humidity of living space to below 60%, but too low (e.g. below 30% to 40%) will cause discomfort; clean carpets; wash bedding and curtains, mite allergens are soluble in water, washing textiles can remove most of them; use air purifiers with filters, vacuum cleaners, etc. ② Avoid allergens in the corresponding pollen allergy season. ③Patients allergic to animal fur avoid allergens.
Drug treatment
The following factors should be considered: efficacy, safety, cost/effectiveness ratio, etc. Intranasal and oral administration are commonly used, and efficacy may vary between patients. There is no long-term sustained efficacy after discontinuation of the drug, therefore maintenance therapy is required for persistent allergic rhinitis. Prolonged treatment does not result in rapid drug resistance. Intranasal administration has many advantages. The high concentration of drugs can act directly on the nose, avoiding or reducing systemic side effects.
1.Antihistamines: Oral or nasal 2nd generation or new H1 antihistamines can effectively relieve nasal itching, sneezing and runny nose. For mild intermittent and mild persistent allergic rhinitis, combined with nasal glucocorticoids for moderate to severe allergic rhinitis.
Glucocorticoids: Nasal glucocorticoids can effectively relieve symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose and sneezing. Patients with severe rhinitis who do not respond to other medications or cannot tolerate nasal medications can be treated with oral glucocorticosteroids for a short period of time.
3.Anti-leukotrienes: effective for allergic rhinitis and asthma.
4.Chromones: effective in relieving nasal symptoms, and eye drops are effective in relieving eye symptoms.
5.Intranasal decongestant: It is effective in relieving nasal congestion caused by nasal congestion, and the course of treatment should be controlled within 7 days.
6.Intranasal anticholinergic drugs: can effectively inhibit runny nose.
7.Chinese medicine: Some Chinese medicines are effective in relieving symptoms. The treatment principle for children and the elderly is the same as that for adults, but special attention should be paid to avoid the adverse effects of drugs.
Nowadays, some famous experts and scholars in the United States and Beijing and Shanghai advocate nasal hormone spraying and the implementation of a treatment plan for seasonal allergic rhinitis patients to prevent attacks and consolidate them after the attacks, which has well controlled the attacks of allergic rhinitis.