Based on symptoms, skin prick test, blood tests for specific antibodies[4]
Differential diagnosis
Common cold[3]
Prevention
Exposure to animals early in life[3]
Medication
Nasal steroids, antihistamines such as diphenhydramine, cromolyn sodium, leukotriene receptor antagonists such as montelukast, allergen immunotherapy[5][6]
Frequency
~20% (Western countries)[2][7]
Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air.[6] Signs and symptoms include a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, red, itchy, and watery eyes, and swelling around the eyes.[1] The fluid from the nose is usually clear.[2] Symptom onset is often within minutes following allergen exposure, and can affect sleep and the ability to work or study.[2][8] Some people may develop symptoms only during specific times of the year, often as a result of pollen exposure.[3] Many people with allergic rhinitis also have asthma, allergic conjunctivitis, or atopic dermatitis.[2]
Allergic rhinitis is typically triggered by environmental allergens such as pollen, pet hair, dust, or mold.[3] Inherited genetics and environmental exposures contribute to the development of allergies.[3] Growing up on a farm and having multiple siblings decreases this risk.[2] The underlying mechanism involves IgE antibodies that attach to an allergen, and subsequently result in the release of inflammatory chemicals such as histamine from mast cells.[2] It causes mucous membranes in the nose, eyes and throat to become inflamed and itchy as they work to eject the allergen.[9] Diagnosis is typically based on a combination of symptoms and a skin prick test or blood tests for allergen-specific IgE antibodies.[4] These tests, however, can give false positives.[4] The symptoms of allergies resemble those of the common cold; however, they often last for more than two weeks and, despite the common name, typically do not include a fever.[3]
Exposure to animals early in life might reduce the risk of developing these specific allergies.[3] Several different types of medications reduce allergic symptoms, including nasal steroids, antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine, cromolyn sodium, and leukotriene receptor antagonists such as montelukast.[5] Oftentimes, medications do not completely control symptoms, and they may also have side effects.[2] Exposing people to larger and larger amounts of allergen, known as allergen immunotherapy (AIT), is often effective.[6] The allergen can be given as an injection under the skin or as a tablet under the tongue.[6] Treatment typically lasts three to five years, after which benefits may be prolonged.[6]
Allergic rhinitis is the type of allergy that affects the greatest number of people.[10] In Western countries, between 10 and 30% of people are affected in a given year.[2][7] It is most common between the ages of twenty and forty.[2] The first accurate description is from the 10th-century physician Abu Bakr al-Razi.[11] In 1859, Charles Blackley identified pollen as the cause.[12] In 1906, the mechanism was determined by Clemens von Pirquet.[10] The link with hay came about due to an early (and incorrect) theory that the symptoms were brought about by the smell of new hay.[13][14] Although the scent per se is irrelevant, the correlation with hay remains more than random, as peak hay-harvesting season overlaps with peak pollen season, and hay-harvesting work puts people in close contact with seasonal allergens.
^ ab"Environmental Allergies: Symptoms". NIAID. April 22, 2015. Archived from the original on June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
^ abcdefghijkWheatley LM, Togias A (January 2015). "Clinical practice. Allergic rhinitis". The New England Journal of Medicine. 372 (5): 456–63. doi:10.1056/NEJMcp1412282. PMC 4324099. PMID 25629743.
^ abcdefgh"Cause of Environmental Allergies". NIAID. April 22, 2015. Archived from the original on June 17, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
^ abc"Environmental Allergies: Diagnosis". NIAID. May 12, 2015. Archived from the original on June 17, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
^ ab"Environmental Allergies: Treatments". NIAID. April 22, 2015. Archived from the original on June 17, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
^ abcde"Immunotherapy for Environmental Allergies". NIAID. May 12, 2015. Archived from the original on June 17, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
^ abDykewicz MS, Hamilos DL (February 2010). "Rhinitis and sinusitis". The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 125 (2 Suppl 2): S103-15. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2009.12.989. PMID 20176255.
^Cite error: The named reference Cov2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Allergic Rhinitis (Hay Fever): Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment". Cleveland Clinic. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
^ abFireman P (2002). Pediatric otolaryngology vol 2 (4th ed.). Philadelphia, Pa.: W. B. Saunders. p. 1065. ISBN 9789997619846. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
^Colgan R (2009). Advice to the young physician on the art of medicine. New York: Springer. p. 31. ISBN 9781441910349. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017.
^Justin Parkinson (July 1, 2014). "John Bostock: The man who 'discovered' hay fever". BBC News Magazine. Archived from the original on July 31, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
^Hall M (May 19, 1838). "Dr. Marshall Hall on Diseases of the Respiratory System; III. Hay Asthma". The Lancet. 30 (768): 245. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(02)95895-2. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2016. With respect to what is termed the exciting cause of the disease, since the attention of the public has been turned to the subject an idea has very generally prevailed, that it is produced by the effluvium from new hay, and it has hence obtained the popular name of hay fever. [...] the effluvium from hay has no connection with the disease.
^History of Allergy. Karger Medical and Scientific Publishers. 2014. p. 62. ISBN 9783318021950. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016.
exposure. Many people with allergicrhinitis also have asthma, allergic conjunctivitis, or atopic dermatitis. Allergicrhinitis is typically triggered by...
senile (rhinitis of the elderly), atrophic, medication-induced (including rhinitis medicamentosa), local allergicrhinitis, non-allergicrhinitis with eosinophilia...
An allergic shiner is a dark discoloration below the eye that is associated with allergicrhinitis and is often seen in conjunction with bilateral Dennie–Morgan...
share symptoms with allergicrhinitis, underscoring the need for professional differential diagnosis. Once a diagnosis of asthma, rhinitis, anaphylaxis, or...
allergic reaction. Other common terms for nonallergic rhinitis are vasomotor rhinitis and perennial rhinitis. The prevalence of nonallergic rhinitis in...
antihistamine medication used to treat hives (urticaria), allergicrhinitis and itchy inflamed eyes (allergic conjunctivitis) caused by an allergy. It is a second-generation...
"Adverse Effects of benzalkonium chloride on the nasal mucosa: Allergicrhinitis and rhinitis medicamentosa". Clinical Therapeutics. 21 (10): 1749–1755. doi:10...
medication primarily used as a nasal spray to treat allergicrhinitis (hay fever) and as eye drops for allergic conjunctivitis. Other uses may include asthma...
and toddlers to allergicrhinitis and finally to asthma in adulthood. Symptoms include atopic dermatitis, food allergy, allergicrhinitis and asthma. Atopy...
Cetirizine is a second-generation antihistamine used to treat allergicrhinitis (hay fever), dermatitis, and urticaria (hives). It is taken by mouth....
acute asthma attacks. Other uses include allergicrhinitis and hives of long duration. For allergicrhinitis it is a second-line treatment. Common side...
are swollen and the nostrils are itchy due to irritations such as allergicrhinitis. The mucus that is wiped onto the hand will most likely carry bacteria...
airway inflammation; almost all patients experience asthma and/or allergicrhinitis. The second stage is characterized by abnormally high numbers of eosinophils...
others, is a second-generation antihistamine used for the treatment of allergicrhinitis (hay fever) and long-term hives of unclear cause. It is less sedating...
stopped. It is generally safe and effective for allergicrhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, allergic forms of asthma, and stinging insects. The evidence...
seasonal allergicrhinitis and for treatment of chronic urticaria. It does not cure, but rather prevents the aggravation of allergicrhinitis and chronic...
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The nasal spray is used for allergicrhinitis and nasal polyps. Modified-release pills or capsules and rectal forms...
among others, is a medication used to treat allergies. This includes allergicrhinitis (hay fever) and hives. It is also available in drug combinations such...
Chronic atrophic rhinitis, or simply atrophic rhinitis, is a chronic inflammation of the nose characterised by atrophy of nasal mucosa, including the...
hypersensitivity, which manifests in various allergic diseases, such as allergic asthma, most types of sinusitis, allergicrhinitis, food allergies, and specific types...
among others, is a corticosteroid for the treatment of non-allergic and allergicrhinitis administered by a nasal spray. It is also available as an inhaled...
butterbur extract is used for migraine prevention and treatment of allergicrhinitis, which have the most evidence for its effectiveness. Some butterbur...
notorious for causing allergic reactions in humans, specifically allergicrhinitis. Up to half of all cases of pollen-related allergicrhinitis in North America...
It is used to treat Rhinorrhea (runny nose) caused by allergicrhinitis, Nonallergic rhinitis, and the common cold. It is used by metered-dose manual...
potential therapy for rhinitis. NK cells appear to play a beneficial role, with fewer present in those with allergicrhinitis. Research suggests IL-17...
allergicrhinitis, and seborrheic dermatitis in immunosuppressed individuals. Atopic triad is widely known as atopic dermatitis, allergicrhinitis and...
They are used locally for conditions such as nasal congestion and allergicrhinitis. In some situations, the nasal delivery route is preferred for systemic...
efficacy of ebastine in the treatment of intermittent allergicrhinitis, persistent allergicrhinitis and other indications. Ebastine has shown overall safety...
Antihistamines are drugs which treat allergicrhinitis, common cold, influenza, and other allergies. Typically, people take antihistamines as an inexpensive...