Symptoms, factors and treatment of allergic rhinitis
A runny nose caused by an irritating factor is medically classified as allergic rhinitis. This disease is non-infectious, it is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nasal passages and sinuses. Allergic rhinitis is treated on an outpatient basis if the patient's condition does not pose a threat to his life.
Reasons of development
The only reason for the development of the disease is the direct impact of the allergen on the body. It can be food, perfume, and flower pollen. The causes of vasomotor allergic rhinitis can lie in house dust and animal hair. And the seasonal type of disease begins its development only under the influence of plant pollen or cold. Hereditary predisposition increases the risk of progression of allergic rhinitis.
The disease is chronic with periodic exacerbations and remissions. If you understand what exactly is the cause and eliminate it, you will be able to forget about the problem for many years. Unfortunately, this happens extremely rarely - the factors that provoke a reaction literally haunt a person.
Symptoms of allergic rhinitis in a child
The main symptoms of allergic rhinitis in a child:
- frequent sneezing attacks;
- nasal congestion, especially at night;
- severe itching in the nasal passages.
The appearance of the patient also changes - the face becomes swollen, the nose increases in size and turns red, the eyes water (additional symptom, not found in everyone). Often, the patient involuntarily rubs the tip of the nose - this is one of the signs of seasonal allergic rhinitis: plant pollen is inhaled and settles immediately at the beginning of the nasal passages, which causes itching.
When the first symptoms appear, you need to pay attention to your well-being and immediately differentiate the disease from infectious processes. How to distinguish an allergic runny nose from a cold? Everything is simple - with a cold:
- nose is blocked around the clock;
- manages to cut out;
- there is no severe itching in the nasal passages;
- body temperature rises (sometimes);
- headaches periodically appear;
- general weakness and aches in the body are noted.
How to treat allergic rhinitis in children
The mistake of many allergy sufferers is to often use vasoconstrictor drops in the nose. They really help and breathing becomes easier, but this is a short-term measure. Doctors claim that it is not worth using such medicines for more than three days in a row, because it can lead to deterioration of the condition of the vessel walls. After this time, the body stops responding to the drugs.
How to treat allergic rhinitis in children:
- Take antihistamines of the second generation - Claritin, Zodak, Citrin. Sometimes third-generation drugs - Telfast, Zyrtec - become effective. Specific appointments are made by the doctor, who also determines the duration of treatment, usually no more than two weeks.
- Topical drugs - kromoglin, kromosol - quickly relieve the condition. These are sprays that help with a mild degree of severity of the disease and work as a preventive measure all year round. Nasal sprays for allergic rhinitis for adults are absolutely not suitable for use in pediatric practice - you cannot experiment, it is better to consult a specialist.
- If the course of the exacerbation is severe, the doctor can prescribe drops in the nose from the category of corticosteroid drugs. These include Nasonex, Nazarel, Aldecin. They are freely available, but you cannot start a course of treatment on your own, especially in childhood.
Doctors claim that it is impossible to cure year-round (persistent) allergic rhinitis - and this is true. But by correctly approaching this issue, you can reduce its manifestations to a minimum. First of all, you need to eliminate the irritant from your life, sometimes it is very difficult to do this and you have to change the region of residence.
The treatment of allergic rhinitis in pregnant women is considered separately, because most medicines are contraindicated during this period. Doctors will monitor the woman's condition, recommend certain drugs, but most often it is enough to identify the cause of the exacerbation of the disease and eliminate it.
There is no prevention of the occurrence and exacerbation of allergic rhinitis, and the only way to solve this problem is to eliminate the allergen.
More accurate information about the disease and about the available means of treatment for chronic allergic rhinitis can be found on the pages of our website www.dobrobut.com .
Related services:
Pediatric allergologist consultation
451 view
