Any allergic rhinitis is a sign of disorders in the immune system. For the first time, such a runny nose was isolated as a separate disease about 100 years ago. This was done by a scientist who himself suffered during the flowering of plants. In the winter, he was near the cut hay and began to sneeze again. At that moment, he suspected that his well-being was a reaction to certain substances in the air. This disease is also called hay fever.
Types of problems
Specialists say that there can be two types of allergic rhinitis. The symptoms and treatment are similar. So, some people face only seasonal problems. At the same time, allergic rhinitis owes its appearance to plant pollen, to which the body reacts. The greater its concentration near a sick person, the more noticeable will be the manifestations of diseases.
But some suffer from a runny nose all year round. In this case, patients are likely to react to dust, animal saliva, hair, dust mites, molds or other irritants. Some have reactions to so-called occupational allergens: paints, solvents, varnishes, cement and other chemicalsubstances.
Causes and characteristics of the disease
Specialists have long been saying that any allergies are problems with the immune system. It releases histamine upon contact with an irritant. This process provokes an allergic rhinitis. The reasons for its appearance lie in the hypersensitive reactions of the immediate type that occur upon contact with an irritant. It is the immune system that begins to fight inhaled particles and stimulates the appearance of a runny nose.
She considers allergens to be foreign substances. The organism that first encountered them begins to produce special antibodies. With subsequent contacts, they begin to fight with familiar allergens. But it also releases histamine and other substances that cause symptoms. Experts call this whole process sensitization.
Symptoms usually appear fairly quickly, ranging from a few seconds to 20 minutes. They arise due to the reaction of the peripheral and central parts of the nervous system, which give impetus to a change in the nasal mucosa. Swelling of the tissues appears, the nasal cavity narrows, breathing is disturbed, the tone of the vessels of the mucous membrane of this organ changes. In addition, there is an increased secretion of goblet cells, an increased secretory function of the glands, the appearance of a significant layer of mucus above the cilia of the cylindrical ciliated epithelium.
In addition, allergic rhinitis is characterized by a decrease in the absorption capacity of the nasal mucosa. Symptoms andTreatment of this disease depends on its course and duration. The general well-being of a person is also important.
First signs of trouble
When in contact with allergens, the body in most cases works instantly. Symptoms may disappear on their own after a few days. The maximum period during which rhinitis can continue is 10 days. But we must understand that the disease can pass only when there is no contact with an irritating substance. Otherwise, an allergic rhinitis can continue for a long time. The symptoms of this disease are always pronounced:
- sneezing: appears a few minutes after inhaling the allergen or in the morning;
- runny nose: secreted mucus is liquid and clear, but when a nasal infection is attached, it becomes yellow and viscous;
- discomfort in the nasopharynx, coughing may occur;
- itchy nose, ears, throat.
The eyes are also often inflamed, there may be a slight swelling of the face.
People who have never experienced such a disease, it seems that this is not so scary. But an allergic rhinitis can greatly complicate life, because its manifestations affect well-being, appearance, and performance.
Disease Prevention
Many people suffering from exacerbated immune responses to irritants have never even visited a specialized allergist. But in vain. The specialist could choose drugs that will alleviate the condition, andtell what you need to do so that an allergic rhinitis does not appear. Prevention (symptoms should not yet appear) is aimed at preventing the development of the disease. The best preventive measure is to avoid contact with the allergen. To do this, it is advisable to make samples and identify which substance you are reacting to.
You can prevent the development of the disease or minimize its manifestations as follows. We must try not to go out into the fresh air early in the morning, avoid any trips to nature. At home, windows can be hung with a thick cloth so that pollen does not have the opportunity to enter the rooms. It is also recommended to wash the nose and eyes as often as possible. This will help clear the mucous membranes of allergens that have got into them and prevent the onset of the disease if you know that your allergic rhinitis may worsen. Komarovsky E. O. claims that this disease also occurs as a reaction to excessive cleanliness and an abundance of household chemicals in the house. He considers nasal rinsing and maximum contact with potential allergens to be the best preventive measure. Even getting a dog before the baby is in the house, he says, will also help to ensure that the child does not develop allergies.
But other doctors do not recommend people with hypersensitivity to keep flowers at home and use cosmetics (with the exception of special hypoallergenic series). Following these recommendations may not completely eliminate allergies, but it can significantly alleviate your condition.
Symptoms of disease
If at first a persononly a runny nose, frequent sneezing and itching are disturbing, then over time other signs appear by which a specialist can diagnose an allergic rhinitis. Symptoms that develop over time may include:
- increased photosensitivity;
- sniffling, constantly stuffy nose;
- irritability caused by feeling unwell;
- breakdown;
- deterioration of sleep;
- mouth breathing (due to constant nasal congestion);
- altered sense of smell;
- hearing problems, feeling of pressure in the ears;
- discomfort in the face;
- allergic bruises - dark circles that appear under the eyes.
Symptoms may vary in intensity throughout life. At certain times, they can become aggravated, at other times they can practically disappear. Often there is an allergic rhinitis during pregnancy. Children are considered more sensitive to allergens. It happens that, growing up, they become less susceptible. Frequent use of perfume, work in which there are strong odors, exposure to wood or cigarette smoke only worsen the situation.
If you have noticed an exacerbation of allergies in the spring and summer, then most likely you have a reaction to pollen. But there are people who are much worse in winter, at a time when they have to spend most of their time indoors. In this situation, allergens should be looked for among dust, household mites, animals living in houses, plants onwindowsill.
Tactics of action
If you have a feeling of itching, sneezing and mucous discharge from the nose, do not try to immediately run to the pharmacy for antihistamines - the cause of the ailment may be completely different. Now let's talk about how to distinguish an allergic rhinitis from a cold. With exactly the same symptoms, treatment requires different. The common cold in most cases is accompanied by other symptoms characteristic of acute respiratory diseases. It can be fever, body aches, cough, pain in the goal, hoarse voice. In addition, in infectious diseases, the discharge is often viscous, they are colored yellow or greenish.
If you know what exactly you are allergic to, then you need to minimize contact with the irritant in every possible way. With seasonal manifestations of the disease, it is necessary to spend as little time as possible on the street, constantly rinse your nose, try to travel by car, bus, minibus, and close windows at home. This is the only way to reduce the manifestations that characterize the allergic rhinitis.
Collection of advice may recommend relief with antihistamines. First-generation drugs can eliminate symptoms, but they have many side effects. They depress the nervous system, weaken attention, provoke a feeling of lethargy and constant fatigue. These include such means as "Suprastin" and "Dimedrol". More modern drugs only block histamine receptors and do not affect the generalcondition. In addition, to achieve the desired effect, it is enough to drink new generation products once a day. These include medicines "Claritin", "Zirtek", "Aleron" and others. Systemic drugs in the form of tablets, capsules or syrup are usually prescribed in cases where the patient is concerned about several symptoms at once, and not just an allergic rhinitis.
Prevention and treatment of mucous discharge from the nose are carried out with the help of local remedies. If necessary, novocaine blockade can be made, hydrocortisone injections into the region of the inferior turbinate. But such drastic measures are used in extreme cases. Most often, with allergic rhinitis, eye drops and nasal sprays are recommended, which can slightly alleviate the condition in less than an hour. An allergist can prescribe drugs such as Kromoglin, Kromosol - they are used for a mild form of pathology. In more severe cases, corticosteroids are recommended - Nasobek, Nazarel, Nasonex, Benorin.
Another method of struggle is the injection of allergens. But such tactics can only be used when the stimulus has been established. Therapy is carried out as follows: first, an allergen is introduced into the body in small doses, then its concentration is increased. This is done until tolerance is developed to the irritants that cause allergic rhinitis. With this approach to treatment, you will no longer need prevention, because the body stops responding to the substance,causing illness.
Seasonal issues
Specialists identify several stages of the pathology we are considering. And all of them are accompanied by an allergic rhinitis. Symptoms and treatment will depend on the severity of the manifestations and on what type of disease it can be attributed to.
Seasonal rhinitis refers to hay fever syndromes, in which the mucous membrane of the nose and eyes is primarily affected. If the patient has a hereditary predisposition to the disease, then his body begins to produce antibodies to irritants. As a result, well-known manifestations arise. They can be expressed both in the form of abundant mucous discharge from the nose, and combined with conjunctivitis. In severe cases, bronchial asthma can join these symptoms. In this case, a person often shows signs of intoxication: fatigue, irritability, sleep disturbances, and even fever.
As a rule, allergic rhinitis develops against the background of general he alth during the period of active flowering of plants. A feeling of itching appears sharply in the nose, it is accompanied by repeated sneezing, difficulty in breathing and abundant transparent mucous secretions. For most people, seizures last for a couple of hours and may recur several times a day.
At the time of an attack, the nasal mucosa is saturated with blood, it can become cyanotic, swollen. At the same time, the nasal conchas increase, they block the passages. Some also note irritation of other mucous membranes - the larynx and trachea suffer. Cough appears, viscous sputum is secreted, hoarseness is observedvotes.
Exacerbations stop at the time when the active flowering of plants ends. When examined in a he althy state, there are no pathological changes. True, some are diagnosed with a deviated nasal septum, mucous polyps, contact spikes.
Chronic manifestations
But there are people who can be bothered by allergic rhinitis all year round. Symptoms and treatment in this case will be somewhat different. This type of allergy differs in that with it there are no pronounced exacerbations, it is impossible to track the frequency. But the symptoms are less pronounced than with seasonal rhinitis.
Chronic allergic rhinitis has 4 conditional stages:
- aperiodic transient seizures;
- continue;
- polypogenesis;
- carnification.
The first stage is characterized by the fact that the symptoms are moderate, there are occasional minor exacerbations. Patients react to hypothermia, drafts, this provokes an exacerbation of the disease. At the same time, they periodically have a stuffy nose, a feeling of dry mouth, lethargy, poor sleep, increased fatigue, and sometimes there may be attacks of shortness of breath. Also at this stage, the permeability of cell membranes begins to be disturbed. Such an allergic rhinitis during pregnancy is a fairly common phenomenon.
If the doctor notes that there are signs of degeneration of the nasal mucosa, this means that the situation is getting worse. This indicates the beginning of the second stage. At the same time, the mucous membrane becomes pale, gray appearsshade, granular formations, noticeable at the ends of the middle and lower turbinates. At this stage, breathing is constantly difficult, the sense of smell is practically absent. The effect of the use of vasoconstrictor drugs is almost invisible.
After some time (it may take several months or about 4 years), polyps grow in the nasal passage. They look like formations that look like bags hanging down into the lumen of the nasal passage on a leg. In most cases, they are sandwiched between the nasal septum and its lateral wall.
At the stage of carnification, the tissues of the lower and partially middle concha of the nose noticeably thicken and become insensitive to vasoconstrictors. This process may be accompanied by the appearance of attacks of bronchial asthma. The general symptoms that characterize the illness become permanent.
Diseases in children
Unfortunately, an allergic rhinitis can often occur in a child. Symptoms and treatment, as in the case of adults, will depend on the form and course of the disease. Toddlers may have seasonal or year-round rhinitis. The disease proceeds in the same way as in adults. But in children, a runny nose, which appeared due to allergies, often reduces the overall resistance of the body. Because of this, the disease is complicated by the addition of viral or bacterial infections.
Seasonal or chronic allergic rhinitis in children is accompanied by swelling of the nasal cavity, active secretion of mucus. Children complain of itching in the nose and eyes, they constantly sneeze. Illness oftenaccompanied by cough. But this, by the way, may be a sign of the development of bronchial asthma.
Any allergic rhinitis in a child often gives complications in the form of acute (and sometimes chronic) otitis media, sinusitis, and the addition of various acute respiratory infections. If the baby is not treated, then this is fraught with the development of inflammation in the paranasal sinuses.
If possible, it is necessary to eliminate the irritant or reduce the baby's contact with it to a minimum. In other cases, you need to know how to distinguish an allergic rhinitis from a cold, and start proper treatment on time. All drugs are best selected in conjunction with a doctor. The child should be treated either by a pediatrician or a pediatric allergist. The doctor selects drugs suitable for age and calculates the required dosage.
Occupational Therapy
You can not ignore the allergic rhinitis in children and adults. This is only fraught with worsening the situation. Therapy is symptomatic (elimination of manifestations of the disease) and allergen-specific. The patient is prescribed drugs that soften the manifestation of allergic reactions, sedative and vasoconstrictor drugs. You can reduce swelling and eliminate congestion with the help of drops and sprays that have a vasoconstrictive effect: Xylometazoline, Nafazolin, Sanorin, Naphthyzin, Nazivin, Tizin and others. But you should not use them for more than 10 days in a row.
However, symptomatic treatment can give the expected results only when it is possible to eliminate the irritant. Otherwise it is necessaryalso use antihistamines, corticosteroids, or immunotherapy. The first group of drugs includes drugs such as Zirtek, Aleron, Claritin, Ketotifen and other similar ones.
If the patient's condition is too advanced, then allergists recommend the use of corticosteroids. Your doctor may prescribe medications such as fluticasone or beclomethasone. They need to be used, as a rule, for a month. They are also suitable for those who suffer from bronchial asthma. These funds are also prescribed in the case when an allergic rhinitis appears in a child. Symptoms and treatment are similar in babies and adults.
Immunotherapy consists of a series of treatments designed to reduce sensitivity to an allergen. An irritant can be introduced into the human body so that he gets used to it and stops reacting. Start with low doses and increase over time.
Folk methods
Doctors do not get tired of saying that it is fraught with allergic rhinitis to take its course. Of course, you can find a collection of tips for the treatment of folk remedies, but you should not hope to get rid of the disease only with their help.
Among the most popular recommendations are the following. Many proponents of alternative medicine advise putting marigold, red geranium, or coltsfoot juice in the nose. In addition, you can gargle with an aqueous infusion of valerian or motherwort.
You can relieve swelling with the help of variousphysical exercise. This recommendation is based on the fact that the exercise stimulates the sympathetic nerves, and as a result, the vessels constrict and the allergic rhinitis decreases.
Treatment with folk herbs is also possible. Some recommend brewing celandine, insisting it for at least 4 hours and drinking it. It is believed that duckweed also helps with a cold. Her infusion (prepared from 1 tbsp of grass and 0.5 liters of water) should be drunk in the morning for several weeks.
Another popular recommendation is the use of activated charcoal in the acute period of the disease. It can be taken 2 tablets up to 5 times a day. This method helps reduce the symptoms of intoxication.
Even if you are an ardent supporter of traditional medicine and do not recognize conservative methods of treatment, you should know: if you have allergies, it is better to make an exception. After all, this disease not only significantly complicates life, but can also lead to a number of serious complications.
