Australian Doctor Australia Doctor 18th August 2017 | Page 19

PULL-OUT SECTION www.australiandoctor.com.au COMPLETE HOW TO TREAT QUIZZES ONLINE www.australiandoctor.com.au/cpd to earn CPD or PDP points. INSIDE Epidemiology and classification Pathogenesis Diagnosis and investigation Management Case study THE AUTHORS DR PETER RYAN ENT Registrar, Department of Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW. DR JUSTIN KONG VMO, Department of Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW. Introduction ALLERGIC rhinitis, often referred to as ‘hay fever’, is a common, IgE- mediated inflammatory disorder of the nasopharyngeal mucosa that occurs in response to allergen expo- sure in prone individuals. Improp- erly treated, allergic rhinitis is a chronic disorder with a potentially significant disease burden. This is as a result of its negative impact on sleep quality, and impairment of school and work performance, as well as leisure activities. Allergic rhinitis is closely related to asthma in terms of its aetiology and pathogenesis. There is strong evidence that suggests untreated allergic rhinitis increases the risk of incident asthma and the likelihood that asthma will progress, unremit- ted, into adulthood. 1 Allergic rhinitis cont’d next page www.australiandoctor.com.au DR MARTIN FORER VMO, Department of Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW. Copyright © 2017 Australian Doctor All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, email: [email protected] 18 August 2017 | Australian Doctor | 19