Alergic Rhinitis Flashcards

1
Q

Allergic rhinitis

A

an IgE-mediated immunologic response of nasal mucosa to airborne allergens and is characterized by watery nasal discharge, nasal obstruction, sneezing and itching in the nose.

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2
Q

Two clinical types

A

Seasonal

Perennial

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3
Q

Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis

A

Symptoms appear in or around a particular season when the pollens of a particular plant, to which the patient is sensitive, are present in the air.

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4
Q

Perennial Allergic Rhinitis

A

Symptoms are present throughout the year.

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5
Q

AETIOLOGY

A

Inhalant allergens

Genetic predisposition

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6
Q

Seasonal allergens

A

pollens from trees, grasses and weeds.

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7
Q

Perennial allergens

A

molds, dust mites, cockroaches and dander from animals. Dust includes dust mite, insect parts, fibres and animal dan- ders. Dust mites live on skin scales and other debris and are found in the beddings, mattresses, pillows, carpets and upholstery.

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8
Q

PATHOGENESIS

A

genetically predisposed individuals ➡️Inhaled allergens produce specific IgE antibody➡️ fixed to the blood basophils or tissue mast cells by its Fc end➡️ On subsequent exposure, antigen combines with IgE antibody at its Fab end ➡️degranulation of the mast cells ➡️release of several chemical mediators ➡️symptomatology of allergic disease ➡️vasodilation, mucosal oedema, infiltration with eosinophils, excessive secretion from nasal glands or smooth muscle contraction

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9
Q

priming affect

A

mucosa earlier sensitized to an allergen will react to smaller doses of subsequent specific allergen

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10
Q

Nonspecific nasal hyper-reactivity is seen in patients of allergic rhinitis why ?

A

Nasal mucosa gets “primed” to other nonspecific antigens to which patient was not exposed ➡️increased nasal response to normal stimuli resulting in sneezing, rhinorrhoea and nasal congestion

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11
Q

Clinically, allergic response occurs in

A

Acute or early phase

Late or delayed phase

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12
Q

Acute or early phase

A

within 5–30 min, after exposure to the specific allergen

consists of sneezing, rhinorrhoea nasal blockage and/or bronchospasm.

It is due to release of vasoactive amines like histamine.

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13
Q

Late or delayed phase

A

It occurs 2–8 h after exposure to allergen without additional exposure. It is due to infiltration of inflammatory cells—eosinophils, neutrophils, basophil, monocytes and CD4 + T cells at the site of antigen deposition causing swelling, congestion and thick secretion

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14
Q

In the event of repeated or continuous exposure to allergen

A

acute phase symptomatology over- laps the late phase.

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15
Q

Usually the onset is at

A

12–16 years of ag

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16
Q

Age group and sex predilection

A

There is no age or sex predilection

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17
Q

cardinal symptoms of seasonal nasal allergy

A

paroxysmal sneezing
nasal obstruction,
watery nasal discharge
and itching in the nose

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18
Q

par- oxysmal sneezing

A

10–20 sneezes at a time

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19
Q

Itching may also involve

A

eyes, palate or pharynx

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20
Q

Symptoms of perennial allergy

A

frequent colds, persistently stuffy nose, loss of sense of smell due to mucosal oedema, postnasal drip, chronic cough and hearing impairment due to eustachian tube blockage or fluid in the middle ear

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21
Q

Nasal signs

A
  • transverse nasal crease
  • pale and oedematous nasal mucosa which may appear bluish.
  • Turbinates are swollen.
  • Thin, watery or mucoid discharge is usually present.
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22
Q

transverse nasal crease produces a sign called

A

allergic salute

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23
Q

transverse nasal crease

A

a black line across the middle of dorsum of nose due to constant upward rubbing of nose simulating a salute

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24
Q

Ocular signs

A

oedema of lids, congestion and cobble- stone appearance of the conjunctiva, and dark circles under the eyes

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25
Q

allergic shiners

A

dark circles under the eyes

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26
Q

Otologic signs

A

retracted tympanic membrane or serous otitis media as a result of eustachian tube blockage

27
Q

Pharyngeal signs

A

granular pharyngitis due to hyperplasia of submucosal lymphoid tissue. A child with perennial allergic rhinitis may show all the features of pro-
longed mouth breathing as seen in adenoid hyperplasia.

28
Q

Laryngeal signs

A

hoarseness and oedema of the

vocal cords.

29
Q

DIAGNOSIS is based on

A

New Allergic Rhinitis and Its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) clas- sification

30
Q

ARIA is baesd on

A

duration and severity of disease

31
Q

Duration of symptoms is subdivided into

A

intermittent or persistent

32
Q

severity of disease is subdivided into

A

mild, moderate or severe.

33
Q

Intermittent Symptoms are presen

A

– Less than 4 days a week or

– For less than 4 weeks

34
Q

Persistent: Symptoms are present

A

– More than 4 days a week or

– For more than 4 week

35
Q

Mild

A

None of the following symptoms are present

36
Q

Moderate to severe

A

– Sleep disturbance
– Impairment of daily activities, leisure and sport – Impairment of school or work
– Troublesome symptoms

One or more of the above symptoms are present

37
Q

INVESTIGATIONS

A
Total and differential count 
Nasal smear. 
Skin tests 
Radioallergosorbent test (RAST) 
Nasal provocationtest
38
Q

Total and differential count

A

Peripheral eosinophilia may be seen but this is an inconsistent finding.

39
Q

Nasal smear.

A

large number of eosinophils

40
Q

Nasal eosinophilia is also seen in certain

A

nonallergic rhi- nitis, e.g. NARES (nonallergic rhinitis with eosinophilia syndrome).

41
Q

Skin tests aim

A

identify specific allergen

42
Q

Skin tests types

A

prick, scratch and intradermal tests

43
Q

Skin prick test.

A

This is an excellent method to demon- strate the allergen. A drop of concentrated allergen solution is placed on the volar surface of the forearm or back and a sharp needle pricked into the dermis through the drop. It introduces the allergen into the dermis. A positive reaction is manifested by the for- mation of a central wheal and a surrounding zone of erythema (flare) within 10–15 min. Simultaneously a control test is performed with histamine and the diluent used in allergen solution

44
Q

There is a good correlation between the skin tests and

A

specific IgE measure- ments.

45
Q

Radioallergosorbent test (RAST)

A

in vitro test and measures specific IgE antibody concentration in the patient’s serum.

46
Q

Nasal provocationtest

A

A crude method is to challenge the nasal mucosa with a small amount of allergen placed at the end of a toothpick and asking the patient to sniff into each nostril and to observe if allergic symptoms are repro- duced.

47
Q

COMPLICATIONS

A

1.Recurrent sinusitis because of obstruction to the sinus ostia.
2. Formation of nasal polypi in about 2%.
3. Serous otitis media.
4. Orthodontic problems and other ill-effects of prolonged
mouth breathing especially in children.
5. Bronchial asthma. Patients of nasal allergy have four times more risk of developing bronchial asthma Twenty to thirty per cent of patients with rhinitis have asthma

48
Q

TREATMENT

A
  1. Avoidance of allergen. 2. Treatment with drugs. 3. Immunotherapy.
49
Q

Treatment with drugs

A
Antihistaminics
Sympathomimetic drugs (oral or topical) 
Corticosteroids 
Sodium cromoglycate 
Anticholinergics 
Leukotriene receptor antagonists 
Anti-IgE.
50
Q

Sympathomimetic drugs

A

Pseu- doephedrine and phenylephrine are often combined with antihistaminics for oral administration.

51
Q

Topical use of sympathomimetic drugs

A

Phenylephrine, oxymetazoline and xylo- metazoline are often used to relieve nasal obstruction

52
Q

Side effects of topical nasal decongestant

A

severe rebound congestion. Patient resorts to using more and more of them to relieve nasal obstruction. This vicious cycle leads to rhi- nitis medicamentosa.

53
Q

Topical steroids

A

beclomethasone dipropio- nate, budesonide, flunisolide acetate, fluticasone and mometasone

54
Q

Steroids are effective in

A

late-phase allergic reaction as inhibit recruitment of inflammatory cells into the nasal mucosa

55
Q

Topical steroids side effects

A

mucosal atrophy and even septal perforation

promote growth of fungus

56
Q

Anticholinergics

A

Ipratropium bromide has been used as nasal spray to control rhinorrhoea. There are no systemic side effects.

57
Q

Leukotriene receptor antagonists

A

montelu- kast, pranlukast and zafirlukast

They block cysteinyl leukotriene type receptors. They are well-tolerated and have few side effects.

58
Q

Anti-IgE.

A

reduces the IgE level and has an anti- inflammatory effect. Omalizumab is such a drug. It is indicated in children above 12 years who have moder- ate to severe asthma. It is not yet approved for allergic rhinitis.

59
Q

Immunotherapy

A

hyposensitization is used when drug treatment fails to control symptoms or produces intolerable side effects.

60
Q

Immunotherapy procedure

A

Allergen is given in gradu- ally increasing doses till the maintenance dose is reached. Immunotherapy suppresses the formation of IgE. It also raises the titre of specific IgG antibody. Immunotherapy has to be given for a year or so before significant improvement of symptoms can be noticed. It is discontinued if uninter- rupted treatment for 3 years shows no clinical improvement.

61
Q

Routes for immunotherapy

A

Subcutaneous immunotherapy is often used but now sub- lingual and nasal routes are also being employed

62
Q

Advantage of sub- lingual and nasal routes in immunotherapy

A

with doses 20–100 times greater than used by the subcutaneous route.

63
Q

A step care approach is recommended by ARIA for aller- gic rhinitis treatment.

A

Refer book