What Is Perennial Allergic Rhinitis?
Perennial allergic rhinitis is the medically correct term for hay fever. Hay fever is a misnomer because it is neither caused by hay nor does it bring about a fever. The name hay fever came into being from the many allergy sufferers who also worked in crop fields and suffered headaches as well as other symptoms and were uneducated about the true workings of the human body, per Medicinenet.com
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Symptoms
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Symptoms for perennial allergic rhinitis are similar to a cold including; a stuffy runny nose, sneezing, swollen, itchy or red eyes, fatigue, sore throat and so on. Allergic rhinitis affects nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population and the symptoms do vary from person to person.
Causes
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Our body's immune system is designed to fight harmful foreign substances such as viruses and bacteria. The cause of allergic rhinitis is the body's overzealous response to non-harmful substances such as pollens, dander and mold. The body attacks these substances and that attack is allergic rhinitis. The most common particles that cause allergic rhinitis are pet dander, pollen, fungus, dust and cockroaches, per the University of Maryland Medical Center.
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Risk Factors
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There are four major factors that can increase the risk of any one person being affected by perennial allergic rhinitis; family history of allergies, being of the male gender, having other allergies such as food allergies or being exposed to secondhand smoke.
Diagnosis
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Doctors will ask questions concerning the four major risk factors, such as your family history and the presence of pets in the home. A common test that doctors will perform is a physical exam to check your overall health. A second test is a skin test, which will test what you are allergic to. The skin test is performed by applying small amounts of various allergens to needles and lightly scratching your skin with them and then waiting about 20 minutes to check for allergic reactions.
Treatment
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The best treatment for allergies is prevention or avoiding the allergens that cause your allergic rhinitis. Different drugs such as antihistamines or decongestants may be used to help control the different symptoms as well. A third option is immunotherapy or allergy shots. These shots are a series of injections of the allergen with gradually larger doses in hopes of getting your body used to the allergen.
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References
- Photo Credit pollen image by photlook from Fotolia.com
