Allergic Rhinitis (Hay Fever)

What is an allergy?

An allergy is your body’s reaction to something in your environment. Have you ever visited a friend’s house and started sneezing as soon as Fluffy, the Golden Retriever, ran up to give you a big wet kiss? Have you had a rash, or a red splotch, on your skin after using a particular kind of soap? These are types of allergic reaction.

What is rhinitis?

Rhinitis is the term for what occurs when the inside of your nose swells and hurts.

So………

When you pet your friend’s dog or play outside and you sneeze and your nose starts to run, you have allergic rhinitis. Your Dad or Mom may call this ‘hay fever.’ Read on to find out why this happens, and what you can do to help stop it.

What causes allergic rhinitis?

There are two causes of allergic rhinitis: First, if your Mom or Dad is allergic to stuff like soap and dogs, you are more likely to have allergies too than someone whose family does not have allergies. Second, your body reacts to exposure to allergens (ah-lur-jenz). An allergen is anything that causes an allergic reaction in you.

You might have allergies if you sneeze when you get around these things:

• Dust
• Animal hair, or animal saliva
• Mold and mildew
• Trees, grass, and flowers

Why do allergies make me sneeze and wheeze?

When you are allergic to something, your immune system, which normally tries to keep you healthy by fighting bad bacteria or germs in your body gets confused and thinks a good allergen is actually a bad germ. Because your immune system’s job is to kill germs, it attacks the allergen and tries to get rid of it. This reaction causes us to sneeze, makes our eyes water, and causes our noses to run.

How do I know I have allergies?

Sometimes it can be hard to tell whether you have allergies or just a bad cold. Here’s a quick way to find out: do your eyes, nose, or throat itch? Then you probably have allergies.

Do you think you might have allergies? Ask your Mom or Dad if you have had any of these symptoms for over two weeks (A symptom is a condition of your body that is not normal, and may be a signal that something is wrong.):

• Itchy, watery eyes
• Runny nose
• Clear gunk in the tissue when you blow your nose
• ‘Stuffed up’ nose
• Sore throat

Will I have to visit the doctor?

Before going to the doctor, your parents might give you a nasal spray or a medication called an antihistamine that fights the allergic reaction. If these medicines work, you’re home free. If not, an otolaryngologist (oh-toe-lair-in-goll-oh-gist), a special doctor for ears, noses, and throats, can examine you and prescribe other remedies. The doctor may suggest:

• Washing your sheets in hot water to get rid of dust mites (a very tiny insect that can only be seen with a microscope)
• Keeping your bedroom neat and clean
• Running a special air cleaner in your house
• Playing inside more in the spring and fall.

Your parents will have to discuss what to do if you are allergic to family pets.

DID YOU KNOW?

• If your runny nose produces a liquid that is green or yellow, you may have a condition called sinusitis. This is treated differently than allergic rhinitis.
• Several of our Presidents have had allergies. They include:
  • Theodore Roosevelt (26th president, 1901-1909),
  • Calvin Coolidge (30th president, 1923-1929),
  • John F. Kennedy (35th president, 1961-1963), and
  • Bill Clinton (42nd president, 1993-2001).
• The original Tin Man from the “The Wizard of Oz,” had an allergic reaction to the make-up used to make him look silver. He ended up in the hospital for two weeks and someone else had to play that part.

Sometimes it can be hard to tell whether you have allergies or just a bad cold. Here’s a quick way to find out: do your eyes, nose, or throat itch? Then you probably have allergies.

© 2004 AAO-HNS/AAO-HNSF