What is Allergic Rhinitis?

Allergic rhinitis (AR), also known as hypersensitive rhinitis, refers to a chronic inflammatory disease of the nasal mucosa with paroxysmal spray, runny nose, and nasal congestion as the main symptoms, which is mainly mediated by immunoglobulin E (IgE) and involves the body's immune active cells and cytokines after susceptible individuals come into contact with allergens.

Incidence of Allergic Rhinitis

Allergic rhinitis is a common chronic inflammation of the upper respiratory tract. The prevalence of this disease is increasing globally. Approximately 500 million people worldwide suffer from allergic rhinitis, with the highest prevalence rate in developed regions such as Western Europe, Northern Europe, and North America, generally ranging from 12% to 30%.

An epidemiological survey of allergic rhinitis among Chinese adults showed that the adult standardized prevalence increased from 11.1% in 2005 to 17.6% in 2011. This disease affects mostly children and young adults, and there is no significant difference in the incidence between men and women. The disease can also induce asthma. Patients with allergic rhinitis are 3-5 times more likely to develop asthma than those without a history of rhinitis.

Types of Allergic Rhinitis

Classification by whether the allergen is seasonal Perennial Allergic Rhinitis

Caused by allergens that exist all year round, such as house dust and mites, but perennial rhinitis does not occur every day of the year, and there are also seasonal exacerbations.

Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis

Mainly caused by the seasonal spread of plant pollen, also known as "hay fever". But in fact, patients with hay fever may be sensitive to a variety of pollens, and pollen exists all year round in some areas, so patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis may also suffer from the disease all year round.

Classification by symptom onset time

Intermittent Allergic Rhinitis

Symptoms occur less than 4 days a week, or less than 4 weeks a year.

Persistent Allergic Rhinitis

Symptoms occur 4 days or above a week, or 4 weeks or above a year. To adapt to China's national conditions, the traditional classification is combined with the classification standards of allergic rhinitis and its impact on asthma (ARIA), which can be divided into four categories: seasonal intermittent, seasonal persistent, perennial intermittent, and perennial persistent.

Classification by disease severity

Mild Allergic Rhinitis

The symptoms are mild and have no significant impact on the quality of life (including sleep, daily life, work, and study).

Moderate-severe Allergic Rhinitis

The symptoms are relatively severe or severe and have a significant impact on the quality of life.

This type of rhinitis can be combined with the classification recommended by ARIA and divided into mild intermittent, moderate-severe intermittent, mild persistent, and moderate-severe persistent.