Allergic Rhinitis Q & A
How does allergic rhinitis develop?
Allergic rhinitis, or hay fever, develops when your immune system overreacts to harmless substances, labeling them as dangerous. Every time you encounter that same substance, the immune system releases histamines, which cause a variety of classic allergy symptoms.
There are two types of allergic rhinitis:
Seasonal
When you’re allergic to pollen from trees, grasses, and ragweed, your symptoms worsen during the seasons when pollen is high.
Perennial
If your symptoms appear year-round, your rhinitis may be due to dust mites, pet dander, and mold spores.
You can have seasonal and perennial rhinitis. When that happens, you have symptoms all year long but they’re worse during certain seasons.
What are the symptoms of allergic rhinitis?
When you have above mensioned rhinitis, you’ll experience symptoms such as:
- Sneezing
- A stuffy or runny nose
- Itchy eyes, nose, or skin
- Postnasal drip
- A cough
- Fatigue
- Allergic shiners (dark, swollen skin under your eyes)
Does allergic rhinitis cause other health problems?
Children with this diseases are susceptible to developing a sinus infection or a middle ear infection. In some adults, It’s develops into chronic sinusitis.
The desiease also increases your risk of developing asthma, migraine headaches, and chronic inflammation that can cause nasal polyps.
How is It’s treated?
Many patients find that their symptoms improve if they make environmental changes to minimize exposure to their allergens. For example, keeping their windows closed and removing carpeting and other fabric items that collect dust and pollen are two methods that help.
A variety of medications in the form of pills, nasal sprays, and eye drops can relieve your symptoms, but they don’t affect the actual allergy. The only way to treat your allergy is with immunotherapy (allergy shots or drops).
Before providing immunotherapy, your doctor at Allergy Testing Center performs skin tests to identify your exact allergen. Then that allergen is introduced into your body on a regular schedule, starting with a small dose and gradually increasing the dose.
Over time, your immune system is desensitized to the allergen and stops triggering allergic reactions.
You don’t need to suffer from allergic rhinitis. Call Allergy Testing Center or book an appointment online.