The Sentinel

Allergic rhinitis is a year round concern, especially for children

by Tim Ditman
OSF Healthcare

DANVILLE - When the temperature starts to warm up, so does the concern for allergies. But one condition – allergic rhinitis, commonly known as hay fever – isn’t confined to March, April and May.

Edward Jenner/PEXELS

“It’s the most common pediatric medical condition that exists,” says Luis Garcia, MD, a pediatrician at OSF HealthCare. That adds up to 40% of children, he says.

Dr. Garcia says allergic rhinitis describes chronic swelling of the tissue inside your nose due to an allergic reaction. It’s commonly triggered by inhaling irritants like dust, pollen and bacteria through the nose. Sneezing, itchiness and a blocked or runny nose often follow.

Dr. Garcia says risk factors include a family history of allergies, being a first-born child, being male, being born in the spring or summer and a heavy exposure to antibiotics in the first year of life.

The first line of treatment for allergic rhinitis is prevention, Dr. Garcia says. How does a person avoid the irritants that cause the condition? We can’t all move to climates that suit our health, he jokingly points out. So other options include:

Close doors and windows in your home.

Use an air purifier to remove dust from the air.

Avoid touching your face.

Keep your home clean, especially if you have pets.

Watch the weather forecast. If you know a dry, dusty day is coming, stay indoors.

Keep a journal of when your allergies are at their worst. You may be able to pick up on patterns and avoid triggers.

Dr. Garcia says a provider can usually see how severe your case is by examining you. But a blood sample or a skin prick test may be needed to determine your triggers. Treatments a doctor may recommend include:

Flushing your nose with salt water

Medication including antihistamines

In more severe cases, a specialist like an ear, nose and throat doctor may try immunotherapy.

“Immunotherapy sort of helps your body switch on and switch off the immune responses,” Dr. Garcia explains. “You could get it in shots or take the substance under the tongue.”

Photo: sweetlouise/Pixabay

When left untreated, allergic rhinitis can cause infections, polyps and sleep issues. Problems tend to compound, Dr. Garcia says. For example, when we have a stuffy nose, we can’t breathe well. Then we can’t sleep well. Then we suffer at school or work, increasing stress and the risk for anxiety and depression.

In other words: “We function as a whole. We always try to separate ourselves into different organs, and that’s simply not true. When one part of us is not working well, there is always something else affected,” Dr. Garcia says.

Managing your pills as you age; navigating today's polypharmacy

Photo: Ri Butov/Pixabay

by Paul Arco
OSF Healthcare

ROCKFORD - As we get older, the chances increase for many of us to develop chronic disease. That also means the likelihood of taking daily medications for conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, insomnia, arthritis and high cholesterol.

In medical terms, it’s called polypharmacy.

“Polypharmacy is using or taking multiple medications,” says Jessica McCuen, manager of pharmacy operations at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, Illinois. “Most healthcare professionals have agreed that the number is somewhere around five or more. Generally, we say anyone who's taking five or more medications is experiencing polypharmacy.”

It's estimated that about one-third of adults between the ages of 60 and 70 are exhibiting some form of polypharmacy.

Taking multiple prescription drugs can increase the risk of multi-drug interactions, in which one medication can affect another medication. Another potential concern is drug-disease interaction, where taking medication for one health issue can make another health problem worse.

It appears to be a bigger concern for older people. It's estimated that about one-third of adults between the ages of 60 and 70 are exhibiting some form of polypharmacy.

“Once we get to that age, we tend to have chronic diseases that have been diagnosed and we take more medications to handle those chronic diseases.”

McCuen adds we don’t often think about how our age can affect how medications work.

“That’s when your body starts to change,” she explains. “You can absorb medications differently; the way that your body works changes and then the way that you hold on to medications because of your body makeup changes too. The way that you may have absorbed or had a reaction to a medication in your 30s could be different in your 60s and 70s just because of the way that your body has changed.”

People who experience polypharmacy have a bigger risk of being tired and dizzy, which increases the risk for falls. Other symptoms are weakness, loss of appetite, gastrointestinal (GI) problems and skin rashes.

And it’s not just prescription medications pharmacists worry about. Over-the-counter medications and herbal supplements can negatively interact with daily prescription drugs.

It’s also possible to be on a medication longer than is needed. For example, some people take a proton pump inhibitor – medicines that work by reducing the amount of stomach acid – for problems like heartburn.

“They'll just continue to take it even though they probably only need to take it for a couple of weeks and then see how they do off of it,” McCuen says. “That’s one of the most common ones I see that they don't necessarily need to be on.”

That’s why it’s important to talk with your care team before starting any new medication. In fact, McCuen recommends doing a medication review with your physician or pharmacist at least once a year to make sure your medications mesh.

“Your pharmacist is really your drug and medication expert,” she says. “They know a lot about the drug interactions with all your medications.”

McCuen adds that it's also a good idea to use the same pharmacy whenever possible so that your pharmacist has a record of all the drugs that you're taking. That way if anything new is added they can intervene in the event you have an interaction with one of your other medications.

Allergic rhinitis is a year round concern, especially for children

Managing your pills as you age; navigating today's polypharmacy

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