Understanding Allergies

When nasal and adjacent tissues and blood vessels become swollen with excess fluid, causing a “stuffy” feeling, which may or may not include a runny nose where discharge accompanies the difficulty in breathing. This is annoyance for older children and adults as well. It can be serious for children at night if it disturbs their sleep or for infants who might have a hard time feeding as keeping their mouth shut is not easy.

Although allergic rhinitis is less widespread in Middle Eastern countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, it nevertheless has a substantial impact. It also has a detrimental influence on daily activities, sleep quality, and overall well-being.

It is known today that allergic rhinitis can go hand in hand with sinusitis and that it can even be a risk factor for the problem, as it tends to cause swelling in the nasal mucosa, favoring the accumulation of mucus, which facilitates the colonization of the sinuses by bacteria and viruses, characterizing sinusitis.

However, for this reason, people with an ongoing rhinitis condition with nasal congestion and accumulation of secretion may believe that they actually have sinusitis. But it often means they have an allergic rhinitis condition with nasal obstruction that was not treated properly and triggered more uncomfortable symptoms, such as headache and hearing difficulty.

Thus, ideally one should learn to identify how each disease manifests itself so as not to get confused. See below the differences between each of them and how the treatment is done.

There are some similarities between allergies and the common cold, so it can be difficult to figure out how to relieve your symptoms. But there are a few ways to identify which is which.

Skin problems such as eczema (dry, red, itchy skin) and urticaria (also known as hives) often occur. Hives are white itchy bumps which look and feel like insect bites. Food may be a factor in some cases of hives and eczema.