Rhinitis is described as the condition where the nasal mucous membranes become inflamed which causes itching, irritation and nasal dripping. Rhinitis could be caused by one of three different types of triggers. There may be a bacterial infection that manifests itself in the nasal mucous. Rhinitis could also be a result of viral infections that tend to be contagious and pass from human to human. Rhinitis is also caused by an allergic reaction. This form of rhinitis is known as allergic rhinitis.
An allergy occurs when the body overreacts to a stimulus and can cause irritation, inflammation and possibly some serious consequences that include respiratory and cardiac failure. Allergies occur because of the immune system. An allergy occurs as follows. The body may come into contact with a substance that is not harmful to it. However, the immune system detects this substance to be harmful to the body, even if it isn’t. The immune system then begins to attack the area that is in contact with the substance, known as an allergen. Because the substance has not actually caused any damage to the cells in the area, those cells, which were perfectly healthy, come under attack from the immune system. This causes the attacked cells to become inflamed and this causes the symptoms that we notice and term as an allergic reaction. In cases where the allergic reaction is severe, the inflammation could cause constriction in blood vessels or in areas such as the breathing canal which can be life threatening.
Allergic rhinitis is known as hay fever. This is because it tends to be caused by airborne particles that are produced during the haying season. It is also caused by airborne pollen. Airborne pollen also exists during the haying season and may be particularly concentrated in dry, breezy areas which have plenty of open fields and grass lands. Most of the hay fever cases occur due to an allergy to grass based pollen which tend to affect allergy sufferers more acutely and also over a larger spectrum of people. Allergic rhinitis can be extremely mild and may go undetected as a result. It could result in a slightly running nose or some mild itching in the nasal canals.
Treating such a condition requires anti-histamine medication which may be prescribed by your doctor. The medication needs to be kept accessible to be used during an attack. As far as possible avoid any sort of contact with the allergen. You may also wash your face and nose regularly in order to flush out some of the pollen that might be on your skin.
