Allergic rhinitis: managing the adult spectrum

With the general population increasing in age, clinicians will be seeing more elderly patients. Many present with bothersome rhinitis. A number of physiological and anatomic changes associated with age predispose the elderly population to develop rhinitis. A number of categories of rhinitis occur in elderly people and it is important to make the correct diagnosis. Appropriate therapy is available but the clinician must be wary of side effects, particularly to antihistamines and decongestants that may be more severe in elderly patients.