Year: 2001
Type: dissertation
Abstract: The key to the diagnosis lies in taking a good medical history. This rule especially\\napplies to allergic rhinitis and asthma. Both diseases have in common that they are\\noften underdiagnosedl and lack proper treatment. Allergic rhinitis and asthma\\nfrequently occur together. Almost 40 % of the allergic rhinitis patients have lower\\nairways involvement, whereas more than 80 % of the allergic asthma patients have\\nconcomitant rhinitis symptoms. The latter percentage gets close to 95 % when a\\ncareful nasal history is taken and physical examination is performed.\\nAllergic asthma is characterized by a history of episodes of cough, dyspnea, shortness\\nof breath, chest tightness and wheezing, in combination with variable\\nbronchoconstriction and/or bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BRR). Mucosal\\ninflammation is also considered an important hallmark of asthma6. However, the\\nassociations between mucosal inflammation and clinical parameters, such as variable\\nairflow obstruction and BRR, are still controversia.\\nAllergic rhinitis is primarily based on a typical history of sneezing, rhinorrhoea, eye\\nsymptoms and nasal obstruction. As in allergic asthma, the atopic status needs to be\\nconfirme<f4. In perennial rhinitis, chronic nasal obstruction can sometimes be\\nthe only symptom, which makes it difficult to confIrm the diagnosis. The diagnosis of\\nseasonal allergic rhinitis is less disputable, the symptomatology and seasonal\\noccurrence are characteristic and have been well established for many years. The\\ndistinction between allergic asthma and rhinitis is sometimes difficult to make since\\nsymptom perception is widely variable; lung function can be normal in mild\\nasthmatics and, although BHR is a constant feature of asthma, it is also frequently\\npresent in allergic rhinitis.
Author: Gert‐Jan Braunstahl
Language: English
Subfield: Immunology and Allergy
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1481730603