Allergic rhinitis (hay fever)
Allergic rhinitis is inflammation of the nasal passages from airborne allergens. Symptoms include rhinorrhea (a runny nose), sneezing, and itching of the nose. The inflammation also swells and narrows the nasal passages, which feels like congestion (a stuffy nose). People with nasal allergies very often have associated eye symptoms: itchy, scratchy, watery, red eyes.
Allergic rhinitis can be seasonal or year-round. Seasonal allergic rhinitis is caused by airborne pollen from trees, grass, or weeds, or by mold spores. Symptoms vary through the year and peak with the airborne allergen count. Year-round (perennial) allergic rhinitis is most often caused by dust mite, pet allergens (cats or dogs most often), or indoor mold.
Nasal allergies can wear people down. People with severe symptoms often cannot remember what it felt like to be well. They may not enjoy being outdoors when pollen counts are high. They often have recurrent sinus infections or chronic sinusitis. In people who also have asthma, a flare of allergic rhinitis can trigger an asthma exacerbation.
Allergists/immunologists diagnose allergies and identify the cause of symptoms. They are trained to perform skin tests, the most sensitive everyday way to identify IgE-mediated allergy. Knowing the trigger matters because reducing exposure is part of treating the symptoms. They can also prescribe medicines that are effective for symptoms, and allergy immunotherapy (“allergy shots”), which can reduce or eliminate symptoms when medicines are not enough or when someone does not want to stay on daily medication.
For the plants and indoor allergens that matter in this region, see common allergens in Southwest Missouri. Symptoms that look the same but are not IgE-driven are covered on non-allergic rhinitis.
How to use a nasal spray
Most people spray the septum — the middle wall of the nose — and then quit the medicine because it burns or bleeds. The medicine is supposed to land on the outer wall. Aim, angle, and a slow breath matter more than squeezing harder.
Figures from the AAAAI (kept from the original page)
From the AAAAI website (http://www.aaaai.org/patients/gallery/rhinitissinusitis.asp) as it was cited on the original page:
- Estimates from a skin-test survey suggest that allergies affect as many as 40 to 50 million people in the United States.
- Allergic diseases affect more than 20% of the U.S. population.
- Allergic diseases are the sixth leading cause of chronic disease in the United States.
- At least 35.9 million people in the United States have seasonal allergic rhinitis (hay fever).
- Approximately 14.1 million physician office visits each year are attributed to allergic rhinitis.
- Immunotherapy is ultimately successful in up to 90% of patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis and in 70 to 80% with perennial allergic rhinitis.
- The estimated overall costs of allergic rhinitis in the United States in 1996 totaled $6 billion.
- It is estimated that in 1998, increased absenteeism and reduced productivity due to allergies cost U.S. companies more than $250 million.
These numbers were not updated. They are the AAAAI figures that were on the original page.