Allergic rhinitis is a problem of the nose caused by inflammation of the nasal membrane. Because it is so widespread, it can be called a global health problem: 10 to 25 per cent of the world's population suffer from it. Although nasal allergy is not a dangerous disease, it disrupts daily life. Children's schooling is affected, and professionals become less productive at work. At times allergic sneezing and a runny nose make life miserable.

Hypersensitivity is the root cause of allergy, but the triggers can vary from person to person.

Mites (a kind of insect) found in old books and newspapers, old household dust, cosmetics, pollen and animal fur and feathers contain allergens, the substances that cause allergy. Black smoke from vehicles, cigarette smoke and various industrial substances can also cause allergy. Some foods, such as hilsa, boal fish, prawns, aubergine and duck eggs, can trigger allergy in some people.

Remember that although these problems are worse in winter, some people have them all year round, particularly with sudden changes in the weather. In dry winter weather there is more dust in the air, so the problem becomes severe at that time. Moving to a new environment can also bring on allergic rhinitis. Twelve per cent of city dwellers are affected by street dust and airborne allergens they breathe in.

In people with allergies, contact with an allergen sharply raises the level of IgE in the blood, and this IgE breaks down cells inside the nose called mast cells. These cells release various chemicals that set off a reaction and inflame the nose. In winter, cold air stimulates nerve receptors in the nostrils and triggers sneezing.

Itching in the nose, bouts of sneezing, a runny nose, a blocked nose, and sometimes headache. Often some people also have watery, red eyes. In patients who have had this allergy for a long time, the tissue beside the nasal passage (the inferior turbinate) swells into a large, pale, sac-like mass.

The only way to prevent allergy is to identify its cause and avoid it. The patient must carefully find out what triggers their allergy, which is why health education is said to be the first step in treatment. People with this problem can wear a mask to avoid winter dust or black smoke from vehicles on the road.

Avoiding the situations that trigger allergy, that is, avoiding allergens, is the main treatment. Medicines can also bring considerable relief, but remember that they are given according to symptoms. The main medicines are antihistamines and steroid nasal sprays, and depending on age, montelukast tablets can be quite effective. Using steroid nasal sprays continuously for a long time (three months or more) can cause various side-effects in the nose, so always use them on the advice of a doctor experienced in ear, nose and throat diseases. Never buy one from a pharmacy and use it without an ENT doctor's advice.

Long-term allergy can be controlled with medicine. For people who have suffered from allergic rhinitis for a long time and get no result from medicine, ENT surgeons treat it by burning away the swollen tissue (inferior turbinate) inside the nose (electrocauterisation), though this is rarely done. The good news is that a vaccine or immunotherapy, the most modern treatment against allergic rhinitis, may be introduced in the near future.

Source: Samakal. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.