Many patients with allergic rhinitis have lived with it for so many years they think it is something they have to accept. That need not be so, and treatment can really improve your daily quality of life and sleep.
Managing allergic rhinitis reduces snoring, mouth breathing, eczema and asthma too.
To get a sustained improvement for your likely symptoms of itching, runny or blocked nose and sinus congestion, it is most important that you find out what you are allergic to.
If nasal medications have been used for a long time and your symptoms recur after 1 to 2 months of stopping medications, it is time to consider testing for allergens or immunotherapy.
I usually offer the patient a skin prick test in clinic to identify allergens early too. The skin prick test (SPT) is not painful, and we do it for even babies.
My allergy nurses can do the test in 2 minutes, and will read the results of your skin's reaction to the allergens 20 minutes later. They then do a full counselling session to advise on how to control for those allergens.
We can test for both airborne (eg dust mites, cockroach, grass and tree, mold) and also food (eg soy, meat, fish, wheat, egg) allergens. In some cases, blood tests are needed to identify the allergens.
Some nasal medications may be needed for the first few months as control is being done. This usually includes a nose steroid spray daily, with or without an antihistamine tablet.
Nasal rinsing of the nose is also incredibly helpful, reducing allergen burdens without the need for actual medications.
In more recalcitrant cases, my patients have found immunotherapy tablets or drops very helpful. They have to be taken daily for 2 to 3 years for best results and a long term cure. You can think of immunotherapy as a method for desensitizing your body to the offending allergen.
For example, you may be in a room full of dust mites but no longer react to the dust mites, and thus not have those uncomfortable nose symptoms. There are no harmful effects to this, with young children also benefiting from it, though there may be some itching under the tongue in the first 2-3 weeks.
Most ENT visits would be between SGD150 to SGD250 for a first time consult. The allergy test is usually from SGD150 onward depending on how many allergens you choose to be tested for.
If a nose scope is needed to exclude polyps or sinus or nasal bone problems that may mimic allergic rhinitis, it usually costs between SGD 200 to 350.
Kind regards,
Dr Lynne Lim
