BMJ  2007;335:502-507 (8 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.39304.678194.AE

Clinical Review

Perennial rhinitis

Hesham A Saleh, consultant rhinologist/ENT surgeon; and honorary senior lecturer1, Stephen R Durham, professor of allergy and respiratory medicine; and honorary consultant physician2

1 Charing Cross and Royal Brompton Hospitals, London; and Imperial College of Medicine, London, 2 Imperial College of Medicine, National Heart and Lung Institute, London; and Royal Brompton Hospital, London

Correspondence to: H Saleh  h.saleh@imperial.ac.uk

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Perennial rhinitis can be defined clinically as an inflammatory condition of the nose characterised by nasal obstruction, sneezing, itching, or rhinorrhoea, occurring for an hour or more on most days throughout the year. Rhinitis is commonly managed by both primary and secondary care physicians. Although most cases can be diagnosed and treated in primary care, referral to secondary care is often necessary when patients do not respond to treatment or other diagnoses are suspected. A recent large scale, cross sectional study in six western European countries found that the overall prevalence of rhinitis was 23%.1 The study also showed that the condition is often undiagnosed, as 45% of patients with investigator confirmed allergic rhinitis had not previously received a diagnosis from their physicians. A published review of previous population based studies showed that, as with asthma, both seasonal and perennial rhinitis seem to be increasing.2



Resources for health professionals
Resources for patients
What to exclude (differential diagnosis)
When to refer to a specialist

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