Non-Allergic Rhinitis
People with non-allergic rhinitis have exactly the same symptoms as those with allergic rhinitis, except when tested, there are no allergens identified. There are two reasons for this. The first is that there is an allergen causing it, but it is not known to be a cause of allergies in our environment (thus it is not tested for). The second is that it may be due to the nerves in the nose, similar to vasomotor rhinitis.
The only way to see if this is what you have is to have skin testing. It is usually called non-allergic rhinitis if your skin tests are negative meaning you are not allergic to the common allergies in our environment. Unfortunately, if we are not able to identify the allergen, it is not possible to have desensitisation. This means the best treatment is with the nasal steroids that must be taken long term.
back to Disease Info - Allergy
