RT Book, Section
A1 Garcia-Lloret, Maria
A2 Rudolph, Colin D.
A2 Rudolph, Abraham M.
A2 Lister, George E.
A2 First, Lewis R.
A2 Gershon, Anne A.
SR Print(0)
ID 7018597
T1 Chapter 192. Allergic Rhinitis and Conjunctivitis
T2 Rudolph's Pediatrics, 22e
YR 2011
FD 2011
PB The McGraw-Hill Companies
PP New York, NY
SN 978-0-07-149723-7
LK accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=7018597
RD 2024/04/20
AB Allergic  rhinitis  is  a  chronic  inflammatory  disease  of  the  upper  airway  caused  by  IgE  sensitization  to  airborne  allergens  in  genetically  susceptible  individuals.  In  the  United  States,  symptoms  of  allergic  rhinoconjunctivitis  (ARC)  affect  between  20%  to  30%  of  adults  and  as  many  as  40%  of  children.  The  clinical  presentation  characteristically  is  associated  with  frequent  sneezing,  nasal  congestion,  and  nasal  discharge.  The  vast  majority  of  patients  with  allergic  rhinitis  complain  or  display  ocular  symptoms  (ie,  itchy/watery  eyes),  thus  it  is  termed  allergic  rhinoconjunctivitis,  for  which  it  is  better  known.  Involvement  of  the  lower  airway  is  frequent:  up  to  40%  of  patients  with  ARC  also  suffer  from  asthma,  and  most  show  evidence  of  bronchial  hyperreactivity.  Allergic  rhinitis  can  affect  the  child’s  quality  of  life  and  can  be  associated  with  conditions  such  as  sleep  disturbances  and  learning  difficulties.