Optimising treatment of allergic rhinitis in children

Acute and chronic symptoms of allergic rhinitis (AR) can disrupt school and leisure activities, significantly reducing quality of life. Symptoms often impair sleep, resulting in tiredness and poor concentration. Children with seasonal AR perform significantly worse in summer exams, relative to their mock exam results, when compared with their peers. Those individuals showing most symptoms are also likely to be affected by other allergic diseases, magnifying the detrimental impact on quality of life. Nasal blockage is the most common complaint associated with chronic AR, with acute exacerbations causing sneezing, clear nasal discharge and itchy eyes following exposure to the relevant airborne triggers. Allergen avoidance measures should be instituted according to seasonal or perennial symptomatology guided by allergy testing, alongside nonsedating antihistamines such as cetirizine or loratadine. Continued symptoms should be treated with regular intranasal steroid spray. Anti-leukotrienes should be considered early in children presenting with multi-trigger wheeze. Temporal patterns of exacerbation give clues as to the most important aeroallergens implicated. In the UK, tree pollen allergy predominates throughout the spring, whereas those affected by grass pollen allergy may find their symptoms increasing over the summer months. Perennial AR symptoms are the result of exposure to house dust mites, animals and moulds. Children who are allergic to these often find the winter more troublesome as they spend more time indoors and the central heating disperses these household allergens. Where continuing deterioration presents a challenge and allergic symptoms remain uncontrolled, patients should be referred to a specialist allergy service to be considered for immunotherapy.