Rhinitis acute

Rhinitis is defined as inflammatory of the nasal membranes and is

characterized by a sign and symptom that consists of any combination such as :
 Sneezing
 nasal congestion
 Thin nasal discharge (watery-to-thick, mostly clear or gray)
 nasal itching
 anterior and posterior rhinorrhea
 scratchy or sore throat

These symptoms must be present for two or more days in a row and for more
than an hour on most days.In adults may experience three episodes per year
and children can experience four to six episodes (or more) per year.
Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nose; it may be acute and
chronic rhinitis
Sinusitis is always accompanied by rhinitis, which is why inflammation of the
paranasal sinuses is known as “rhinosinusitis”, and it is characterized by the
presence of two or more of the following symptoms: blocked nose/congestion/
obstruction, anterior or posterior rhinorrhea, facial pain/pressure and/or
impairment/loss of sense of smell; the presence of one of the first two
symptoms is required

ACUTE
 Viruses
viral rhinitis is complicated by a bacterial infection caused by streptococci,
staphylococci, and pneumococci or other bacteria. HAY FEVER, an acute type of
allergic rhinitis.
In example :
COMMON COLD (CORYZA)
Aetiology : Several viruses (adeno virus, picorna virus and its sub-
groups sucha s rhinovirus, coxsackie, and ECHO)
Clinical features : Nasal stuffness, rhnorrhoea, sneezing, low grade fever,
secondary bacterial invasion may occur.
Complications :Sinusitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, bronchitis, pneumonia
and otitis
 Bacteria
Many factors assist the invasion of the mucous membranes by bacteria,
including allergens, excessive dryness, exposure to dampness and cold,
excessive inhalation of dust, and injury to the nasal cilia due to viral infection.
In example :
DIPHTHERITIC RHINITIS
May occur in acute or chronic form Greyish membrane is seen covering the
inferior turbinate and the floor of nose; membrane is tenacious and its removal
causes bleeding
Acute rhinitis or Infectious rhinitis is the most common form and it is classified
as the common cold or acute viral rhinosinusitis (symptoms last less than ten
days), acute non-viral rhinosinusitis (the symptoms get worse after the first five
days or are maintained longer than ten days) or chronic rhinosinusitis with or
without polyps (symptoms last longer than 12 weeks). Acute Rhinitis is the
most common form of non-infectious rhinitis and the most closely related to
asthma. The classification of acute rhinitis changed after the publication of the
ARIA, because the classical classification into seasonal, perennial and
occupational asthma did not reflect the clinical reality of patients. The current
classification proposed by ARIA has been validated, although criteria to
differentiate moderate and severe rhinitis have been proposed

Epidemiology

The most common form of rhinitis is infectious rhinitis. Its incidence in adults
is from 2 to 5 episodes of the common cold a year and in children is from 7 to
10 episodes a year. The prevalence of AR in the general Spanish population
has been estimated to be about 21.5% (average age 31.3 years), of which 21-
64% of cases are persistent, 36-79% intermittent, 48.5-63% perennial and 37-
51.5% seasonal. 82% of intermittent cases are mild (18% moderate/ severe)
and 44% of persistent cases are mild (56% moderate/severe). A study
conducted in Spain found that rhinitis was the most common reason for
consultations at Allergology departments (55.5% of total visits). Of all of these
consultations an allergic aetiology was confirmed in 72% of patients. 51.9%
were sensitized to pollen and 40.2% to mites, and polysensitization was
frequent (31.2%). 37.3% of the rhinitis patients were diagnosed with asthma. In
the ISAAC study, a prevalence of rhinoconjunctivitis symptoms of 7.9% was
recently confirmed in Spanish children aged 6-7 years (an annual increase of
0.33%) and a prevalence of 15% in children aged 13-14 years (an annual
increase of 0.10%)

Daftra pustaka

auchau V, Durham SR. Epidemiological characterization of the intermittent

and persistent types of rhinitis. Allergy 2005;60:350-3.

J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol2010; Vol. 20, Suppl. 1: 37-42