In the spring, due to temperature changes, people often suffer from a runny nose (rhinitis) and SARS, but during the flowering period an allergy can develop, accompanied by similar symptoms. Allergist-immunologist INVITRO-Ural Anastasia Brown told socialbites.ca how to distinguish between viral and allergic rhinitis.
According to the doctor, the main symptoms of rhinitis are: nasal congestion due to pronounced swelling of the mucous membranes, profuse watery nasal discharge, sneezing, weakness. It is characteristic of both infectious rhinitis occurring in acute viral diseases and allergic rhinitis.
“In acute viral diseases, histamine, which irritates the neurovegetative centers, contributes to the formation of headache, weakness and runny nose. Some studies have shown that the level of histamine produced by mast cells rises to levels characteristic of allergic reactions. Therefore, the main symptoms are mostly the same. However, the activity of its manifestations may indicate the type of rhinitis. For example, if the patient is mainly concerned with itching and sneezing, and this coincides with the flowering season or new contact with any product or substance, then rhinitis may be suspected of having an allergic nature. For a viral cause, feverish numbers of 38 or more increases in body temperature are more common,” he said.
As Brown notes, if the main symptoms are accompanied by fever, if symptomatic treatment does not help for several days, if the runny nose becomes more intense yellow-green discharge and the general condition continues to worsen, it is most likely a viral rhinitis or rhinosinusitis. with the connection of the bacterial flora.
“First of all, you need to consult a general practitioner and then refer to an ENT or allergist. The patient can be guided by the symptoms described above, but only the doctor at the time of admission can make the correct diagnosis. An ENT doctor will conduct a rhinoscopy – instrumental diagnostics, which allows you to examine the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity. If the patient’s mucosa is edematous, paler, and/or has a bluish hue, the patient has allergic rhinitis. With viral contact, on the contrary, the mucosa reacts with hyperemia – increased blood flow and a characteristic red or pink hue, ”explained the allergist.
If we talk about infectious rhinitis, then the treatment will depend on the symptoms, the doctor will determine how much the mucous membrane is affected and whether antibiotic therapy is necessary. It is not recommended to take antibiotics for yourself and take the drug without a doctor’s prescription, as this is fraught with the development of insensitivity of the pathogenic flora to antibacterial drugs.
“If it’s an allergic itch, then they take antihistamines and vasoconstrictor drops or sprays, so-called topical decongestants. But these drugs can be used for a maximum of 3-5 days, because with longer treatment, the nasal mucosa becomes dependent on vasoconstrictor drops, and the runny nose can be mixed in nature – drug and allergic / non-allergic, ”warted.
In allergic rhinitis, the allergen is first identified and contact with it is excluded, symptomatic pharmacotherapy is used to reduce the level of mucosal inflammation. Treatment is chosen depending on the severity of the symptoms – mild, moderate, severe, a person is unlikely to establish on their own.
Formerly socialbites.ca Wrote Regular shampooing will help people with allergies to endure the upcoming flowering period of the plants more easily because it is where most pollen accumulates in the hair.