Allergic Rhinitis: Pediatric Pulmonologist Perspective

The airway is a unified structure extending from the nostril to the tiny peripheral airways. Unified airway disease (UAD) refers to the common epidemiological and pathophysiological relationship between chronic inflammatory upper and lower respiratory tract diseases. Comorbidities such as asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are common among children with allergic rhinitis (AR). AR during infancy or adolescence is a risk factor for the development of asthma later in life. Untreated or insufficiently treated rhinitis can treble the risk of asthma attacks, and bronchial hyperreactivity is prevalent among rhinitis patients. When patients with both AR and asthma were treated with intranasal corticosteroids (INC), their risk of asthma-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations decreased significantly. Thus, patients with rhinitis and/or asthma should endure a thorough examination and evaluation of both the upper and lower respiratory tracts. Early and effective treatment may reduce the likelihood of developing adult-onset asthma.