The annoying "allergic rhinitis" is back! Learn these tips to effectively prevent it and suffer less

As late autumn approaches and the weather gets cooler, many children have repeated watery runny nose, itchy nose, stuffy nose, coughing, sneezing, rubbing nose, and shrinking nose. What is the reason? Experts from Pingjiang County First People's Hospital remind us that this is probably allergic rhinitis.

1. What is allergic rhinitis?

The human body has a solid defense system. When foreign enemies invade, such as bacteria, viruses, allergens, etc., the body will regard them as aliens, and will trigger layers of defense reactions. If the defense system is too harsh, while fighting against foreign enemies, it will also trigger a strong inflammatory response of its own, such as redness, swelling, heat, pain, local itching, edema, etc.

If this process occurs in the nose, it is allergic rhinitis, and the "aliens" that invade the body and cause hypersensitivity reactions are called allergens.

Common foreign substances include dust mites, pollen, mold spores, animal fur, dust, etc. Some special foods, such as mangoes, eggs, milk, seafood, etc., are also substances that are easy to cause allergies.

Allergic rhinitis is not congenital, but is related to physical constitution and has certain genetic factors, and can accompany life. Over time, allergic symptoms can be aggravated or alleviated due to changes in the internal or external environment.

Hypersensitivity reactions are not only prone to occur in the nose, but also often manifest in the eyes, airways, skin management, and digestive tract. Therefore, some children may have eczema, allergic conjunctivitis, diarrhea, irritant cough, asthma, etc. in addition to nasal symptoms.

2. Symptoms of allergic rhinitis

1. Nasal congestion, nasal itching, paroxysmal sneezing, sniffing, clear runny nose, and frequent nosebleeds.

2. Often rubbing, picking, and wrinkling the nose, and having dark circles under the eyelids.

3. Throat clearing, dizziness, dry cough, foreign body sensation in the throat, chronic nasal congestion leading to mouth breathing, snoring during sleep, lack of energy and lack of concentration during the day.

3. Common misunderstandings among parents

1. Treat allergic rhinitis as a common cold

There is an essential difference between colds and allergic rhinitis.

2. It doesn’t matter whether you treat it or not

Many people believe that allergic rhinitis is only a little painful during an attack, and that the patient will be the same as a healthy person afterwards, so it doesn't matter whether it is treated or not.

In fact, if allergic rhinitis is not treated in time, it may induce sinusitis and nasal polyps. If it is not treated properly for a long time, it may also lead to otitis media, loss of smell and even induce asthma.

3. People are afraid of the word "radical"

Hormones are substances produced every day in the human body, which play a certain role in maintaining the functioning of the body. The hormone content of nasal hormone drugs is relatively small, and usually does not cause systemic absorption, so there is no need to be afraid of the word "hormones".

4. Abuse of decongestants

Some children with chronic nasal congestion are treated with topical decongestants alone, and the application is rather casual, up to 5 to 10 times a day. Since this type of nasal drops usually have a strong vasodilator rebound effect and are the most common cause of drug-induced rhinitis, the course of treatment should not exceed 3 days, and the number of nasal drops per day should not exceed 3 times.

5. Stopping or reducing medication without authorization

Many patients only take medication when the disease attacks, and stop taking medication as soon as the symptoms are slightly relieved, causing allergic rhinitis to get better or worse, or even become more and more serious.

4. Life tips to teach you how to prevent

In daily life, if you can do the following, you can keep your children away from allergens as much as possible.

1. First of all, you need to keep the environment clean, such as setting appropriate temperature and humidity at home, and using a vacuum cleaner with filtering function to clean the floor and sofa every week.

2. During season changes, sensitive seasons (such as autumn, winter and spring), and crowded places, it is recommended to wear a mask to reduce irritation to the nasal mucosa. For children who are allergic to plant pollen, they can wear a mask with a filter, or spray an allergen blocker in the nasal cavity in advance to effectively block allergens.

3. After returning from outside, especially on foggy days, it is recommended to wash your hands and face. It is best to have a nasal spa to fully rinse out nasal secretions and allergens to prevent respiratory diseases.

4. Use a mite remover or mite spray to clean bedding every day, and dry bedding frequently. Do not buy plush toys, do not lay carpets, try to avoid fabric sofas and fabric curtains, and regularly clean and replace air conditioning filters to effectively prevent the breeding of mites.

5. Dehumidify the room regularly in rainy weather, and clean up moldy items in time. Degrease and clean the kitchen, clean up kitchen waste in time, and change garbage bags frequently.

6. Try not to place potted plants in soil to reduce mold in the soil.

7. Try not to keep pets at home. If you already have pets, clean pet supplies frequently, bathe dogs frequently, comb cats’ hair every day, and keep a hair remover or hair remover at home.

8. Carry out appropriate physical exercise to enhance physical fitness and immunity, eat a balanced diet, and avoid foods that may stimulate excessive secretion of gastric juice or damage the gastric mucosa. Eat more vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins, and light, easily digestible foods.

Hunan Medical Chat Special Author: Wu Danxiong, Pingjiang County First People's Hospital

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(Edited by YT)