Understanding What Allergic Rhinitis Is
Understanding What Allergic Rhinitis Is
Many people have allergic rhinitis (hay fever). It happens when your immune system has an overreaction to particles in the air that you have breathed in. Your body’s immune system attacks the particles, which causes you to have symptoms such as a runny nose and sneezing. The particles that you are having the reaction to are called: allergens. Allergens are things that you have an allergic reaction to.
You can have symptoms to things you are allergic to that occur at certain times during the year (seasonal allergies) or you may be allergic to things that are in your life on a daily basis like fragrances. Your allergies may aggravate other problems such as sinusitis, ear infections or asthma.
An individual can overtime develop immunity to something that they once had an allergic reaction to as their body is exposed to that allergen over and over.
Common allergens are: dust mites, animal dander, cockroaches, mold, cereal grain, wood dust, chemicals, certain fabrics and also lab animals.
There are outdoor allergens such as pollens and indoor allergens such as house dust.
Your doctor or allergist can help you determine what your allergens are if you suspect that you are experiencing an allergic reaction.
Your allergic reactions can lessen as years go by as your body becomes used to the allergens.
Symptoms of allergic rhinitis:
Repeated sneezing especially early in the morning after waking
Runny nose
Postnasal Drip (drainage is usually clear and thin) Drainage becomes thick, cloudy or yellowish if you get a nasal or sinus infection
Itchy, watery eyes
Itchy ears throat and nose
Common allergens that cause most of the allergic reactions in people are: animal dander, cockroaches, dust mites grass, mold and trees. Workplace allergens include wood dust, chemicals, dust, and also lab animals.
Outside pollens include weeds, trees, grasses, molds and chemicals in the air from factories or other pollutants. Some particles in the air are more irritants to our respiratory systems that cause us to react to the particles that we breath in instead of being an allergic reaction. Our bodies have some of the same symptoms in order to try to rid our bodies of the irritants and we may wonder if we are sneezing because of allergies or something in the air that our noses did not like breathing in?
A doctor or allergist can help us to determine if our symptoms are from allergies by having us fill out a medical questionnaire and conducting a physical exam. The doctor may also run an allergy skin test to see what we are allergic to. You may also have lab tests that will determine if certain substances are present in your bloodstream or other bodily fluids that would indicate that you have allergic rhinitis.
If it is determined that you have allergic rhinitis there is no cure but your doctor will help you to understand how you can avoid what you are allergic to if possible and also may prescribe medications that can help to reduce your symptoms and give you some relief from them.
Individuals allergic to outdoor allergens may need to stay indoors when pollen counts are high depending on what they are allergic to outside.
