Allergic Disorders

Synonyms

Chronic rhinitis, Hay fever, Seasonal rhinitis

Definition

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is an inflammatory process where the body responds to allergens with an exaggerated immune response. It is characterized by symptoms of sneezing, rhinorrhea, itchy eyes, tearing of the eyes, itchy throat, and cough. It is classified into seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis based on the American classification and as intermittent or persistent based on the European classification. Based on the severity of symptoms and its effect on daily activities and sleep, it can further divided into mild and moderate–severe AR.

Epidemiology and Genetics

Ten to twenty percentage of the populations in the world have seasonal allergic rhinitis (Wallace et al. 2008). Atopic parents, especially a father having allergic rhinitis, increase the odds ratio of developing allergic rhinitis in their children. Having one atopic condition makes it more likely to develop AR. In general the prevalence of atopic disease...