Two complementary guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment
of allergic rhinitis are published in the August issue
of the Allergy journal. These guidelines are the result
of a close cooperation between scientists, primary care
professionals, and patients' organisations. GA²LEN,
Global Allergy and Asthma European Network contributed
to the guidelines representing European research in the
field.
Allergic rhinitis is one of the most common chronic diseases
with over 600 million people affected worldwide. More than
200 million of them also suffer from concomitant asthma.
However, allergic rhinitis is generally under-diagnosed
and under-treated.
Prof. Jean Bousquet, GA²LEN Vice-President and Chairman
of ARIA, Allergic Rhinitis and Its Impact on Asthma, stresses
that "neither allergic nor non-allergic rhinitis are
trivial disorders. They significantly impair patients'
daily quality of life, school and work performance. Moreover,
people with allergic rhinitis have a greater risk to develop
asthma and many patients with rhinitis already have asthma
as well. Although patients come with a complaint about
their nose, asthma too must be checked by the doctor."
Dr. Chris van Weel, from WONCA, adds "The majority
of patients who seek medical advice are seen in primary
care practices. General practitioners therefore have a
central role to play in the adequate diagnosis and treatment
of allergic rhinitis. These two short publications intend
to support primary care physicians in their diagnostic
and facilitate doctors' assessment of the disease and medication
choices." In the accompanying editorial, he expends
on the central role of primary care in the diagnosis, treatment
and management of allergic rhinitis.
The guidelines review best practices worldwide, based
on current state-of-the-art research. They propose practical
questionnaires for history taking, which is at the core
of diagnosis, including advice on how to differentiate
allergic rhinitis from other common diseases such as the
common cold and non-allergic rhinitis.
Classifications will allow doctors to assess the severity
of the disease and the impact on the patients' quality
of life. Primary care professionals will also find a list
of 'red flags' suggesting that urgent referral is need
and a glossary of rhinitis medications.
These guidelines complement GA²LEN's campaign 'Does
rhinitis lead to asthma?', launched in 2007
GA²LEN
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http://www.ga2len.net
