Many persons have seasonal related symptoms of nasal dripping, congestion, itchy eyes, and sneezing. There is a name for this which is helpful for these individuals to read about their malady and seek help from their doctor. The true medical name is Allergic rhinitis.

This is an article by Britt Talley Daniel MD, member of the American Academy of Neurology, Migraine textbook author, Podcaster, YouTube video producer, and Blogger.

Allergic rhinitis is the proper name for the lay terms of “sinus,” “allergies,” or “hay fever.”  The term allergic refers to the altered immune function wherein sensitive tissue located in the nose, throat and conjunctiva is exposed to foreign proteins.  This results in an antigen-antibody reaction.  The antigen would be the foreign protein, such as cedar pollen.  Antibody (IgE) is made by the lymph tissue in the upper airway and eye.  As a result mast cells cause the release of IgE.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis is based on a history of seasonal or continuous symptoms of nasal and ocular itching, sneezing, nasal stuffiness, clear nasal drainage, and cough.  The diagnosis can be confirmed by demonstration of IgE antibodies by either skin testing or radioallergosorbent testing (RAST). Skin testing is preferred because of greater sensitivity and decreased cost.

Treatment

Treatment is stepwise with antihistamines as the first step followed by nasal steroids, decongestants, and anticholinergics.  Immunotherapy can be introduced if the patient fails to respond or cannot tolerate medication.

Problems with treatments

Older antihistamines are available over the counter, but are commonly very sedating and therefore poorly tolerated.  An example would be Benadryl.  The newer drugs such as Claritin (loratadine), Allegra (fexofenadine), and Zyrtec (cetirizine) are non-sedating and better tolerated.

Nasal steroids

Common nasal steroids sprays are Flonase (fluticasone) or Triamcinolone (Nasacort).  Pseudoephedrine may be added orally when nasal steroids and antihistamines are inadequate, but Sudafed taken regularly can disrupt sleep, aggravate migraine, and provoke anxiety and panic symptoms.  Claritin, for example, comes as Claritin D, which has pseudoephedrine added as a decongestant. Topical agents such as Afrin nose spray should be avoided as overuse can lead to rebound congestion and rhinitis medicamentosa. 

Patients with severe symptoms should consider referral to an allergist for immunotherapy (allergy shots) which may be self administered by the patient.

Read my article, “Sinus, Allergy, or Migraine headache?” on my website, www.doctormigraine.com. Please click here to read.

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Although this site provides information about various medical conditions, the reader is directed to his own treating physician for medical treatment.

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All the best.

Britt Talley Daniel MD