Symptoms of allergic rhinitis usually occur when you come in contact with an allergen, and they are fairly easy to recognise. Some of the early symptoms include:

• Repeated sneezing, especially in the early hours of the morning

• Runny nose and a thin, clear post-nasal drip that may cause a sore throat

• Watery and itchy eyes

• Itchy ears, nose and throat

Symptoms that may develop later include:

• Stuffy nose

• Headache

• Fatigue and irritability

• Blocked ears

• Decreased sense of smell

Over time, the allergens may affect you less, and your symptoms may be less severe
than before.

Allergic Rhinitis vs Common Cold

The symptoms of allergic rhinitis can easily be confused with a common cold. However, there are certain differences in the symptoms that can help you distinguish between
the two.

If you find that you have any/all the symptoms of allergic rhinitis, it is important that you consult your doctor for the right diagnosis and treatment. It is important to treat allergic rhinitis on time, as it could lead to complications such as asthma, ear infections and sinusitis.

While trying to diagnose your problem, the doctor will ask detailed questions about your and your family’s medical history, lifestyle, eating habits, work and home environment and the frequency as well as the severity of the symptoms you face. The doctor will also examine you and depending on what makes your symptoms worse or better, your doctor will know whether you have allergic rhinitis or some other problem.

If your symptoms are severe, your doctor might ask you to get an allergy test done, so as to find out what you are allergic to. Sometimes, specialised blood tests can also help in finding out what you’re allergic to.

The best treatment for allergic rhinitis is to try and avoid your allergens as much as
you can.

How to avoid allergens

To avoid exposure to outdoor allergens, you can for instance, take the following precautions:

• During the pollen season, stay indoors during mid-mornings and early evenings or when it is windy outside, as pollen counts in the air are usually higher during these times.

• Wear a mask while gardening or visiting a dusty place.

• Try not to hang clothes and towels to dry outside, as pollen and dust tends to stick to them.

• When you are outside, always wear glasses/sunglasses to protect your eyes and prevent rubbing of eyes; doing so will irritate them and could make your symptoms worse.

To avoid exposure to indoor allergens, you can for instance, take the following precautions:

• Try and keep the windows closed.

• Clean floors with a damp rag or mop, rather than dry-dusting or sweeping.

• Clean the walls regularly to get rid of patches of moulds (fungus), if any.

• Wash your blankets, pillow covers and bedsheets in hot water, frequently.

• Get the carpet and curtains cleaned from time to time.

• Use mite-proof covers for all your bedding – pillows, mattress, comforters etc. to reduce your exposure to dust mites.

• Keep the humidity levels in your house as low as possible (you can use a de-humidifier), so that moulds cannot thrive.

• Clean places such as the bathrooms, kitchens, attics and basements regularly.

• Make sure your air conditioning unit in your car and home is clean.

If you are allergic to pets, remember to –

• Wash your hands immediately after touching any pet animal.

• Wash your clothes thoroughly after visiting a friend who has pets.

• Keep your house pet outdoors.

Medication

You can also use various medications to help treat your allergic rhinitis. Depending on the severity and type of your symptoms, your doctor may prescribe medications such as nasal sprays, pills, eye drops, syrups and even immunotherapy or allergy shots if your allergy is very severe.

Across the globe, nasal sprays are widely accepted as an effective way to treat
allergic rhinitis.

Nasal sprays deliver the medication directly to the problem area i.e. the nose. Since the medication reaches the nose directly, its dose is significantly lesser, which means that nasal sprays have minimal side effects. It is important that you treat your allergic rhinitis because if it is not treated on time it can lead to complications such as ear infections, sinusitis and nasal polyps.