Prevalence and differential diagnosis of chronic rhinitis.

The prevalence and differential diagnosis of rhinitis changes as we progress from birth to senescence. The heavy burden of allergic rhinitis is often overlooked in infants and disregarded in childhood and adolescence. In women, especially during pregnancy, hormonal changes can significantly affect nasal mucosal hyperreactivity and worsen ongoing syndromes. Various types of inflammatory and noninflammatory nonallergic rhinitides become more prevalent in the fifth decade and beyond. The burgeoning elderly population with irritant, atrophic, and medication-related rhinitis will constitute a greater proportion of our practices as the general population ages.