Hello and welcome to the Zero to Finals podcast.

My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be talking to you about allergic rhinitis.

And if you want to follow along with written notes on this topic,

you can follow along at zero tofinals.com slash allergic rhinitis

or in the immunology section of the zero definals pediatrics book.

So let's get straight into it.

Allergic rhinitis is a condition caused by an IGE-mediated type 1 hypersensitivity reaction.

Environmental allergens cause an allergic inflammatory response in the nasal mucosa in the nose.

It's very common and it can have a significant impact on sleep, mood, hobbies, work and school performance as well as quality of life.

Allergic rhinitis may be seasonal, for example with hay fever, perennial meaning year-round,

for example with house dust mite allergy, or occupational associated with school or work environments.

So how does it present?

Allergic rhinitis typically causes a runny, blocked and itchy nose, sneezing, and itchy red and swollen eyes.

Allergic rhinitis is associated with a personal or a family history of other allergic conditions, which is what we call atopi.

Atopic conditions are things like exma, allergies and asthma.

There are a few triggers to be aware of for allergic rhinitis,

and it's worth taking a detailed history to see if you can identify the triggers for the patient's symptoms.

Tree pollen or grass allergy will lead to seasonal symptoms, which we call hay fever.

House dust mites can lead to persistent symptoms of allergic rhinitis, often worse in dusty rooms

and at night time. Pills can be full of house dust mites and trigger allergies.

Pets can lead to persistent symptoms when the pet or their hair, skin or saliva is present in the environment.

And other allergens may lead to symptoms after exposure, for example, mold.

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