What are the allergens of allergic rhinitis?

Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
Updated on September 09, 2024
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Allergic rhinitis is a relatively common otolaryngological disease with various clinical symptoms. The most common symptoms include itchy nose, clear nasal discharge, and sneezing. It is advisable to consider allergen testing. Common allergens in clinical settings include seafood, cats, dogs, pollen, and there may also be dust, mugwort, and pigweed. There is generally significant individual variation, and clear identification can be acquired through skin prick tests or blood tests. Once identified, it is necessary to avoid contact with the allergens in daily life as much as possible. Additionally, if the clinical symptoms are severe, it may be necessary to combine oral medications and nasal sprays for targeted treatment.

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Written by Zhang Jun
Otolaryngology
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Can people with allergic rhinitis eat mangoes?

For allergic rhinitis, it is first necessary to go to the hospital for a detailed examination of allergen antibody tests to identify the substances causing the allergy. If you are allergic to mangoes, then you must avoid eating mangoes. Allergic rhinitis is mainly caused by a decrease in the body's immunity and resistance, leading to localized symptoms after the nasal and oral cavities come into contact with an allergen. Patients may experience symptoms such as sneezing fits in the morning, runny nose with clear mucus, bilateral nasal congestion, nasal itching, and eye itching. During the examination, pale and swollen nasal conchae mucosa can be observed, and the prick test is positive. In terms of treatment, during the acute phase of allergic rhinitis, symptomatic antiallergic treatment is required first. Patients also need to avoid allergens, wear masks, avoid spicy and irritating foods, exercise regularly to enhance immunity and resistance, and avoid catching colds, which can gradually lead to improvement.

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Written by Deng Bang Yu
Otolaryngology
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Is allergic rhinitis contagious?

Allergic rhinitis is a type of hypersensitivity reaction occurring in our nasal cavity. It is an immunological disease, not caused by bacterial or viral infections, so it is definitely not contagious. However, in real life, it may create an appearance of being contagious. For example, if one family member develops allergic rhinitis, other family members might also start showing symptoms of allergic rhinitis. This is mainly because all family members live in the same environment, which might be the allergen-triggering environment. Essentially, allergic rhinitis is a hypersensitivity disease and is not contagious. It’s just that living in the same environment, everyone may develop this disease, but it is not transmitted from one person to another.

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Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
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What is the best treatment for allergic rhinitis?

There are various treatment options for allergic rhinitis. Firstly, it is advisable to perform allergen testing. If the allergy is due to dust mites, desensitization treatment could be considered, which may completely cure some patients. If other allergens are involved, or if no specific allergens can be detected, treatment primarily involves oral medications and sprays, which is a commonly used method, but may lead to recurrent symptoms. Drug treatment mainly aims to control the condition and stabilize symptoms rather than cure them. In cases where conventional drug treatment is ineffective, surgery might be considered for a small number of patients, but it generally does not cure the condition either. Most patients focus on controlling the condition and stabilizing symptoms, requiring long-term follow-up and avoiding contact with allergens.

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Written by Deng Bang Yu
Otolaryngology
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How to Diagnose Allergic Rhinitis

Allergic rhinitis is a common and frequently occurring disease clinically. The definite diagnosis of allergic rhinitis primarily relies on the following points: First, the medical history, such as a history of living in an allergenic environment or a family history, along with a past history of the condition. Second, the clinical manifestations of allergic rhinitis, such as rhinitis, paroxysmal sneezing, a large amount of clear watery nasal discharge, and upon nasal examination, the nasal mucosa appears pale and swollen with clear watery discharge present in the nasal cavity. Additionally, supportive examinations can reveal an increase in eosinophils or lymphocytes in the complete blood count, or the detection of allergens, and specific IgE tests, etc. With these medical histories, clinical symptom manifestations, and supportive examinations, allergic rhinitis can be definitively diagnosed.

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Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
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How to completely cure allergic rhinitis?

Allergic rhinitis currently has many treatment methods, but overall, only a minority of patients can be completely cured; most patients focus primarily on controlling symptoms and alleviating the condition. At present, the main treatment method for allergic rhinitis is medication. If it's purely a mite allergy and there are no other allergens, desensitization treatment can be considered. Currently, this involves subcutaneous injections or sublingual immunotherapy. Overall, about 60% to 70% of patients can achieve a complete cure with this treatment. However, for other allergies or those that cannot be identified, the focus is primarily on control and relief; it is very difficult to achieve a complete cure with either medication or surgery.