Management of allergic rhinitis.

Rhinitis is characterised by the presence of two or more of the following symptoms: nasal blockage, sneezing, rhinorrhoea (a persistent watery mucous discharge from the nose) and nasal itching which last for an hour or more on most days. Allergy is the commonest cause of chronic symptoms. Patients with allergic rhinitis often have a clear relationship between symptoms and allergen exposure, for example, during the tree/grass pollen season. Viral or bacterial infection is the commonest acute cause of symptoms and is usually self-limiting.