If you experience runny nose, sneezing, and nasal congestion in the same season year after year – or even all year round – you may be suffering from a common condition known as allergic rhinitis, or hay fever. There is no cure for allergic rhinitis, and it tends to run in families (like asthma) and affects different members of the family differently and to varying degrees. The medical treatment goal is to control the extent of nasal and sinus inflammation due to allergies with appropriate medications.

Common causes of allergic rhinitis include:

• Animal dander
• Dust mites
• Hay and weeds
• Mold
• Pollens from grasses and trees

Allergic rhinitis may cause the following symptoms:

• Chronic cough
• Chronic sinus or ear infection
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Intermittent ear plugging
• Intermittent hoarseness
• Itchy, red, or watery eyes
• Nasal congestion
• Runny nose
• Sneezing
• Sore throat
• Wheezing

Tests

Allergy Testing
Your ENT specialist may order an allergy skin test or allergist consultation, to help determine the allergen(s) that are causing your symptoms. If the results of the skin test are inconclusive or if more information is needed, you may undergo a blood allergy test.

Treatments

Medications
There are both over-the-counter and prescription medications available to help ease and control the symptoms of allergies. These include topical and oral steroids, antihistamines, and other anti-inflammatory medications.

Nasal Spray
Your ENT doctor may recommend that you regularly use a nasal steroid or antihistamine spray to help control the inflammation caused by allergies, and clear out your nasal passage.

Lifestyle Modification
If possible, you should try to avoid the allergens that trigger your body’s immune system to react and causes the allergy symptoms.

Why Choose UHealth?

Ranked in the nation’s top tier by U.S. News & World Report. The ranking reflects the team’s dedication to excellence in research patient care and outcomes. Surgeons, audiologists, biomedical engineers, speech pathologists, researchers, and psychologists collaborate with many research programs at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine to deliver the best possible multidisciplinary care to pediatric and adult ear, nose, and throat patients.

Highly specialized rhinology doctors. The experts at University of Miami Health are here to help you breathe easier, smell better, and rest better with an accurate diagnosis and leading edge treatments in a compassionate setting. Our fellowship-trained providers specialize in the nasal airway, and our rhinology specialists have completed specialized training in nasal and sinus disorders. They have dedicated their clinical and research careers to caring for nasal and sinus disorders.

Our academic health center provides you with more treatment options. Our ENT specialists are experts in the field of rhinology. As part of an academic health center, we are proud to offer breakthrough treatments not available to other facilities in South Florida. We also offer our patients early access to clinical trials and new medical and procedural treatments. We provide comprehensive care for a wide array of rhinologic conditions, backed by expertise, research, and education.