Close the doors to bedrooms when you are not home to keep pets out. Cover vents with dense material like cheesecloth. Animal allergens are sticky. Replace wall-to-wall carpet with bare floors or a low-pile carpet. Bathing and brushing your pets often may reduce symptoms. But avoid grooming your pets if you have animal allergies. If you must groom them, wear a mask. If you suspect you have a pet allergy , see a board-certified allergist for allergy testing. Prevent pollen from getting inside by keeping windows and doors closed.
Use air conditioning in warm weather to control dust mites and reduce humidity. Change filters often. Avoid mold spores. Reduce moisture around the bathroom, kitchen and other areas where there is a lot of water. Here are some ways you can reduce mold:. Control cockroaches. Do not leave food or garbage uncovered. Use poison baits, boric acid and traps instead of chemicals. Chemicals may irritate your sinuses and asthma.
Medical Review September Salo , et al. Exposure to multiple indoor allergens in US homes and relationship to asthma. Mar Retrieved April 24 In Middleton's Allergy: Principles and Practice 8th ed. W B Saunders Company. Mite Allergens.
In Allergens and Allergen Immunotherapy. New York: Marcel Dekker. What Size Are Allergens? Will Air Cleaning Devices Help? The allergic reaction isn't caused by animal fur, but flakes of dead animal skin and their urine and saliva. Dogs and cats are the most common culprits, although some people are affected by horses, cattle, rabbits and rodents, such as guinea pigs and hamsters.
However, being around dogs from an early age can help protect against allergies, and there's some evidence to suggest that this might also be the case with cats. Some people are affected by allergens found in their work environment, such as wood dust, flour dust or latex. It isn't fully understood why some people become oversensitive to allergens, although you're more likely to develop an allergy if there's a history of allergies in your family.
If this is the case, you're said to be "atopic", or to have "atopy". People who are atopic have a genetic tendency to develop allergic conditions. Their increased immune response to allergens results in increased production of IgE antibodies. Environmental factors may also play a part. Studies have shown certain things may increase the chance of a child developing allergies, such as growing up in a house where people smoke and being exposed to dust mites at a young age.
Your GP will often be able to diagnose allergic rhinitis from your symptoms and your personal and family medical history. They'll ask you whether you've noticed any triggers that seem to cause a reaction, and whether it happens at a particular place or time. Nasal polyps are fleshy swellings that grow from the lining of your nose or your sinuses, the small cavities inside your nose. They can be caused by the inflammation that occurs as a result of allergic rhinitis.
Allergic rhinitis is usually confirmed when medical treatment starts. If you respond well to antihistamines, it's almost certain that your symptoms are caused by an allergy. If the exact cause of allergic rhinitis is uncertain, your GP may refer you to a hospital allergy clinic for allergy testing. Commercial allergy testing kits aren't recommended because the testing is often of a lower standard than that provided by the NHS or an accredited private clinic.
It's also important that the test results are interpreted by a qualified healthcare professional with detailed knowledge of your symptoms and medical history. In some cases further hospital tests may be needed to check for complications, such as nasal polyps or sinusitis. Treatment for allergic rhinitis depends on how severe your symptoms are and how much they're affecting your everyday activities.
You should visit your GP if your symptoms are more severe and affecting your quality of life, or if self-help measures haven't been effective. It's possible to treat the symptoms of mild allergic rhinitis with over-the-counter medications, such as long-acting, non-sedating antihistamines.
If possible, try to reduce exposure to the allergen that triggers the condition. See preventing allergic rhinitis for more information and advice about this. Regularly cleaning your nasal passages with a salt water solution — known as nasal douching or irrigation — can also help by keeping your nose free of irritants. You can do this either by using a homemade solution or a solution made with sachets of ingredients bought from a pharmacy. Small syringes or pots that often look like small horns or teapots are also available to help flush the solution around the inside of your nose.
To make the solution at home, mix half a teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda baking powder into a pint ml of boiled water that's been left to cool to around body temperature — do not attempt to rinse your nose while the water is still hot. While you do this, some solution may pass into your throat through the back of your nose.
The solution is harmless if swallowed, but try to spit out as much of it as possible. Nasal irrigation can be carried out as often as necessary, but a fresh solution should be made each time. If your symptoms are caused by seasonal allergens, such as pollen, you should be able to stop taking your medication after the risk of exposure has passed.
Antihistamines relieve symptoms of allergic rhinitis by blocking the action of a chemical called histamine, which the body releases when it thinks it's under attack from an allergen.
You can buy antihistamine tablets over the counter from your pharmacist without a prescription, but antihistamine nasal sprays are only available with a prescription. Antihistamines can sometimes cause drowsiness. If you're taking them for the first time, see how you react to them before driving or operating heavy machinery. In particular, antihistamines can cause drowsiness if you drink alcohol while taking them. If you have frequent or persistent symptoms and you have a nasal blockage or nasal polyps, your GP may recommend a nasal spray or drops containing corticosteroids.
Corticosteroids help reduce inflammation and swelling. They take longer to work than antihistamines, but their effects last longer. Side effects from inhaled corticosteroids are rare, but can include nasal dryness, irritation and nosebleeds. If you have a particularly severe bout of symptoms and need rapid relief, your GP may prescribe a short course of corticosteroid tablets lasting 5 to 10 days.
If allergic rhinitis doesn't respond to treatment, your GP may choose to add to your original treatment. If you don't respond to the add-on treatments, you may be referred to a specialist for further assessment and treatment. Immunotherapy, also known as hyposensitisation or desensitisation, is another type of treatment used for some allergies. It's only suitable for people with certain types of allergies, such as hay fever , and is usually only considered if your symptoms are severe.
Immunotherapy involves gradually introducing more and more of the allergen into your body to make your immune system less sensitive to it. The allergen is often injected under the skin of your upper arm. Injections are given at weekly intervals, with a slightly increased dose each time. Immunotherapy can also be carried out using tablets that contain an allergen, such as grass pollen, which are placed under your tongue. When a dose is reached that's effective in reducing your allergic reaction the maintenance dose , you'll need to continue with the injections or tablets for up to three years.
Immunotherapy should only be carried out under the close supervision of a specially trained doctor as there's a risk it may cause a serious allergic reaction. A blocked or runny nose can result in difficulty sleeping , drowsiness during the daytime, irritability and problems concentrating. Allergic rhinitis can also make symptoms of asthma worse.
The inflammation associated with allergic rhinitis can also sometimes lead to other conditions, such as nasal polyps, sinusitis and middle ear infections. These are described below. Nasal polyps are swellings that grow in the lining inside your nose or sinuses, the small cavities above and behind your nose. They're caused by inflammation of the membranes of the nose and sometimes develop as a result of rhinitis.
Nasal polyps are shaped like teardrops when they're growing and look like a grape on a stem when fully grown. They vary in size and can be yellow, grey or pink. They can grow on their own or in clusters, and usually affect both nostrils.
If nasal polyps grow large enough, or in clusters, they can interfere with your breathing, reduce your sense of smell and block your sinuses, which can lead to sinusitis. Small nasal polyps can be shrunk using steroid nasal sprays so they don't cause an obstruction in your nose.
Large polyps may need to be surgically removed. Sinusitis is a common complication of rhinitis. It's where the sinuses become inflamed or infected. However, if the drainage channels are inflamed or blocked — for example, because of rhinitis or nasal polyps — the mucus can't drain away and it may become infected.
Over-the-counter painkillers, such as paracetamol , ibuprofen or aspirin, can be used to help reduce any pain and discomfort in your face. However, these medications aren't suitable for everyone, so check the leaflet that comes with them before using them. Allergic rhinitis typically causes cold-like symptoms , such as sneezing, itchiness and a blocked or runny nose. Some people only get allergic rhinitis for a few months at a time because they're sensitive to seasonal allergens, such as tree or grass pollen.
Other people get allergic rhinitis all year round. Most people with allergic rhinitis have mild symptoms that can be easily and effectively treated. But for some people symptoms can be severe and persistent, causing sleep problems and interfering with everyday life.
The symptoms of allergic rhinitis occasionally improve with time, but this can take many years and it's unlikely that the condition will disappear completely. Visit a GP if the symptoms of allergic rhinitis are disrupting your sleep, preventing you carrying out everyday activities, or adversely affecting your performance at work or school. A diagnosis of allergic rhinitis will usually be based on your symptoms and any possible triggers you may have noticed.
If the cause of your condition is uncertain, you may be referred for allergy testing. Find out more about diagnosing allergic rhinitis. Allergic rhinitis is caused by the immune system reacting to an allergen as if it were harmful.
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