Allergic rhinitis: impact of the disease and considerations for management.
AR is a common condition affecting individuals of all ages. Those afflicted with AR often suffer from associated inflammatory conditions of the mucosa,such as AC, rhinosinusitis, asthma, otitis media with effusion, and other atopic conditions, such as eczema and food allergies. Lack of treatment or treatment with suboptimal therapy may result in reduced quality of life and compromise productivity at work or school. Although environmental controls may prove difficult to implement, and not all controls appear adequately to mitigate symptoms of AR, they continue to represent a foundation for treatment. Many different classes of medications are now available, and they have been shown to be effective and safe in a large number of well-designed, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials. Some of the over-the-counter medi-cations have been associated with increased sedation, potentially leading to accidents and fatalities at work or while operating complex machinery, such as automobiles. Only immunotherapy with increasing doses of individually targeted allergens results in sustained changes in the immune system. Although anti-IgE is probably only the first successful immunomodulator commercially available to treat AR, monoclonal antibodies will remain too costly, at least in the near future, to find their way into routine AR treatment.
Greiner
Alexander N
AN
Allergy and Asthma Medical Group and Research Center, and University of California at San Diego, San Diego, CA 92123, USA. greineran@yahoo.com
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003888:Desensitization, Immunologic; D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D020024:Leukotriene Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011788:Quality of Life; D019141:Respiratory System Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D020024:Leukotriene Antagonists; D019141:Respiratory System Agents