As soon as you turn on the air conditioner, you sneeze wildly, your baby may have this problem

Recently, the weather was hot, and 8-year-old Kiki (pseudonym) couldn't wait to turn on the air conditioner as soon as she came home from school, and a strange phenomenon appeared: every time she blew the air conditioner for a while, she sneezed wildly, and was also accompanied by symptoms such as itching, nasal congestion, and runny nose, which was very uncomfortable. Her family took her to the hospital for treatment, and the doctor who received her diagnosed her with typical allergic rhinitis, and further examination showed that the allergen was mites, and the long-term failure to clean the air conditioner was an important cause of the disease.

What are the allergens

Allergic rhinitis is an allergic disease caused by allergens, with episodic sneezing, rhinorrhea, nasal congestion, nasal itching, etc. Depending on the type of allergen, allergic rhinitis can be divided into seasonal allergies and perennial allergies. Seasonal allergies are also known as hay fever. The classification of pollen-producing plants in mainland China mainly includes woody plants, grasses, and weeds. Among them, the pollen production of woody plants is mainly concentrated in spring, gramineous plants are mainly concentrated in summer, and weed plants are mainly concentrated in autumn. The pathogenic intensity was weeds, woody plants, and grasses.

Perennial allergens are mainly animal dander, feathers, dust mites, fungi, etc. Dust mites are the most widespread and potent allergens in the world, with a higher incidence in the southern part of the continent than in the north. Dust mites like a warm and humid environment, can exist in any corner of the room, and live on the dander and hair shed by people and animals, so there are many air conditioners, carpets, beds, pillows, etc. Dust mites such as autologous, fecal particles, molting, wings, etc. are allergens. Fungi are also important allergens that cause allergic rhinitis, which increase in summer and autumn, and indoor areas such as refrigerators, bed bottoms, wall corners, kitchens, bathrooms, wardrobes, etc. are places where fungi can easily survive. With the improvement of living standards, the number of residents who keep pets has gradually increased, and the most common is to raise cats and dogs, whose hair, dander, etc. can be allergenic, and they are also parasites for parasites, mites, and fungi. In addition, the number of patients with allergies to tobacco, disinfectants, perfumes, etc. is also increasing.

What are the symptoms of allergic rhinitis

Allergic conjunctivitis: in seasonal allergies, the probability of concomitant allergic conjunctivitis can be up to 80%. Although the patient's eye symptoms are obvious, the main cause is nasal inhalation of allergens, so nasal anti-allergy treatment is required to solve the problem.

Asthma: Patients with allergic rhinitis have a higher probability of developing asthma. According to relevant studies, the proportion of patients with allergic rhinitis induced by asthma can reach 40%.

Acute and chronic sinusitis: nasal polyps, allergic rhinitis leads to edema of the nasal sinus mucosa and obstructs the sinus ostium, affecting sinus drainage, leading to sinusitis.

Upper airway cough syndrome: inflammatory diseases of the nasal cavity and sinuses cause nasal secretions to reflux to the back of the nose and throat, directly or indirectly stimulating cough receptors, resulting in clinical symptoms dominated by cough.

Secretory otitis media: studies have shown that the middle ear mucosa is a lateral continuation of the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract and has an allergic mechanism similar to that of allergic rhinitis. At the same time, due to the edema and hypertrophy of the inferior nasal turbinate, coupled with the retention of mucopurulent secretions in the nostrils, the Eustachian tube orifice is blocked, resulting in the accumulation of fluid in the middle ear that is difficult to drain, resulting in secretory otitis media.

Adenoid hypertrophy: Studies have found that the incidence of adenoid hypertrophy in patients with dust mite allergy is 40%. Exposure to seasonal allergens can cause staged adenoid hypertrophy. Adenoid hypertrophy is the leading cause of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in children.

Atopic dermatitis: It can cause eczema in infants and young children, erythema, oozing, etc. in the acute stage.

Tourette's syndrome: More and more studies have found that allergic rhinitis is related to Tourette's syndrome, which is mostly manifested as nose rubbing, blinking, throat clearing, coughing, facial tics, etc., and the symptoms in the afternoon and evening are generally more frequent than in the morning, especially before falling asleep. In addition, the symptoms of nervousness, excitement, startle stimulation, and intense exercise will also be significantly worsened, but generally do not show any signs after deep sleep.

How to prevent allergic rhinitis

1. Try to place as few chemical and fiber synthetic products as possible in the living room, and use wood and metal products appropriately. Avoid all kinds of wool products, and change bedding and pillowcases regularly.

2. Keep the indoor environment clean. Air conditioners are a place where dust mites and fungi tend to accumulate and should be cleaned regularly. The humidifier should be changed frequently, otherwise the fungus will multiply, and every winter there will be patients with aspiration pneumonia caused by the use of the humidifier. Fish tanks are prone to mold and should be wiped regularly. Wardrobes and bookcases are easy to accumulate dust, and mold and dust mites can breed in a humid environment.

3. The kitchen is a necessary space for life, and it is also the place where fungi and cockroaches are most likely to occur. Therefore, it is necessary to keep the kitchenware clean and tidy, and reduce the accumulation of oil stains such as wall corners and range hoods.

4. Clean up the dirt in the corner of the bathroom and the sewer in time, and ventilate and dry it.

5. Keep the inside of the car clean. There will be all kinds of dirt in the car, including all kinds of pollen during the pollen season, food scraps, etc., and it is necessary to bring pets as little as possible to avoid pet dander falling off.

6. Pollen protection. Minimize outdoor activities and close doors and windows in windy weather with high pollen concentrations; Take off your shoes, shampoo your hair, and remove allergens from your clothes when you go home; Wear a mask and goggles when you go out, and wear less linen and woolen clothes.

7. Eat a reasonable diet. Reduce your intake of allergy-prone foods by consuming honey, foods rich in vitamin C, and daily yogurt. In addition, foods such as garlic, carrots, and dates can be consumed.

8. Improve physical fitness and adjust mentality. A strong physique can improve the body's adaptability to adverse conditions and reduce the occurrence of complications. A growing body of research has shown that recurrent allergies can cause psychological stress and may lead to conditions such as Tourette's syndrome.

Allergic disease is a chronic disease, in order to control it well, long-term, regular and standardized treatment is required, and long-term standardized medication needs to be adhered to under the guidance of clinicians, so that the symptoms can be controlled to the mildest and the impact on our daily work and life can be controlled to the minimum.

How allergic rhinitis is treated

The treatment principles of allergic rhinitis: environmental control, drug treatment, immunotherapy, and health education, which are called "prevention and treatment combined, four in one". Among them, environmental control is to avoid allergens, and immunotherapy is often referred to as desensitization therapy, both of which belong to the treatment of the cause. Drug treatment is the use of drugs to control allergic symptoms, which is symptomatic treatment; Surgical treatment is relatively rare, and some patients can choose surgical treatment when the first three treatment results are not satisfactory, but surgical treatment is also controversial and is not used as a routine treatment. At present, drug therapy is a routine treatment in hospitals.

Source: Student Health News