Are You Suffering from Allergic Rhinitis?

At Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Medical Group, we’re seeing more and more cases of allergic rhinitis, a condition that’s becoming more common and has symptoms you may be used to: a runny nose, itchy skin and nose, excessive sneezing, postnasal drainage, and nasal congestion. Many doctors simply brush it off and say it’s a runny hose but there’s evidence out there that allergic rhinitis is typically not an isolated disorder.

Other conditions that often come along with allergic rhinitis

There are many other conditions that can come hand in and hand with allergic rhinitis. They include:

• Asthma
• Conjunctivitis
• Tonsillar hypertrophy
• Snoring
• Laryngitis
• Sleep disorders
• Sinusitis
• Chronic otitis media
• Adenoid hypertrophy
• Sleep apnea
• Pharyngitis

As you can imagine, allergic rhinitis combined with other conditions can reduce your quality of live.

The cause of allergic rhinitis

There are still a lot of questions about allergic rhinitis and it can present differently in different patients. However, we do know that it results from the immune system responding abnormally to certain things in your environment, including pet dander, dust mite droppings, mold, and cockroach droppings. It’s estimated that anywhere from 10% to 30% of people in the world deal with allergic rhinitis. We also know that it’s both under recognized and undertreated.

Allergic rhinitis can negatively impact patients with asthma

The concept of “one airway,” and the fact that there’s a shared inflammatory pathway, means that those with uncontrolled allergic rhinitis who have asthma are likely to have much worse symptoms of that asthma than those who don’t have allergic rhinitis. That’s why controlling this condition is an important piece of the puzzle when treating asthma for many patients.

In fact, patients who have sinus infections on a regular basis, or have conjunctivitis that keeps getting worse, could also be dealing with worse symptoms due to untreated allergic rhinitis.

Treatment options for allergic rhinitis

When you meet with Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Medical Group, we’ll work closely with you to provide allergy testing for specific allergens. We can then prescribe the right treatment plan for you, which may include immunotherapy, medication, allergy avoidance, or a combination of these treatments.

While your treatment will vary based on your specific medical history, allergy test results, and other factors, it’s generally true that immunotherapy is the only option that will actually treat the cause, and not just the symptoms. Studies have demonstrated that treat allergic rhinitis with immunotherapy can help patients with allergic asthma as well, and can help prevent reoccurrence. How by changing the way your immune system responds to triggers.

At Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Medical Group we believe it’s important to take every runny nose seriously. If you’re suffering from any of the symptoms listed above, contact us right away at 805-658-9500. We can complete testing that will finally tell you what the issue is and give you options to get better – for good!