Shoo the Achoo!
“JUST BECAUSE nobody’s dying from allergic rhinitis, [they think] it’s a trivial disease. It’s not. It has an impact on daily lives and quality of life,” said Ralph Mosges, German professor and the chairman of the International Standardization Committee for the Objective Assessment of the Upper Airways, last Wednesday in a media briefing on allergy control.
Say goodbye to runny and red nose. In celebration of the World Allergy Week on April 13-19, here are tips on how to win the battle against allergies.
Allergic rhinitis or hay fever affects 600 million people worldwide. The World Health Organization in fact classifies allergic disease as the fourth most important chronic disease in the world. Allergic rhinitis can disrupt one’s work and school productivity and is associated with other diseases including asthma and sinusitis.
“The victims feel like they’re a zombie,” said Mr. Mosges. Besides sneezing, sinus pressure, runny nose, congestion, and itchy eyes, he said hay fever also causes a reduction in sexual desire. The sedation often felt is caused by the disease and not by the antihistamine drugs they take to relieve the symptoms, he noted. “You are sleepier when untreated,” he said.
Allergic rhinitis is often caused by an allergic response to outdoor or indoor allergens, such as pollen, dust mites, and pet dander. In the Philippines, the top two causes are dust mites and cockroaches said Dr. Jovilia Abong, past president of the Philippine Society of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.
According to the National Nutrition and Health Survey in 2008, two in 10 Filipino adults suffer allergic rhinitis. Residents in rural areas (22%) have a higher prevalence than residents in the urban area (18%). Ms. Abong said that although hay fever occurs all year round, its cases increase when the weather is humid.
To lessen or ease the symptoms, especially this summer, Ms. Abong gave some tips on how to shoo the achoo:
• households should clean the carpets and beddings every day;
• replace pillows every year;
• clean mattresses regularly and dry them under the sun;
• taking honey and vitamin C helps, too.
Other treatments include allergy education (majority of the victims take hay fever for granted said Ms. Abong), allergen avoidance, and allergen immunotherapy or allergy shots.
There are also medications like Bilastine, a non-sedating, second-generation antihistamine allergy drug which relieves allergic rhinitis and urticaria or hives, an itchy skin rash. Bilastine is a once-daily antihistamine tablet endorsed by the International Therapeutic Guidelines and the only drug so far that has met the Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact of on Asthma guidelines set in 2010. Mr. Mosges said that there has been no new technology on allergy control since 1988.
Bilastine, according to him, is the best of its class. Bilastine, a prescription drug, costs P27 per tablet and can be taken by people age 12 years old and above. --Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman
“The victims feel like they’re a zombie,” said Mr. Mosges. Besides sneezing, sinus pressure, runny nose, congestion, and itchy eyes, he said hay fever also causes a reduction in sexual desire. The sedation often felt is caused by the disease and not by the antihistamine drugs they take to relieve the symptoms, he noted. “You are sleepier when untreated,” he said.
Allergic rhinitis is often caused by an allergic response to outdoor or indoor allergens, such as pollen, dust mites, and pet dander. In the Philippines, the top two causes are dust mites and cockroaches said Dr. Jovilia Abong, past president of the Philippine Society of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.
According to the National Nutrition and Health Survey in 2008, two in 10 Filipino adults suffer allergic rhinitis. Residents in rural areas (22%) have a higher prevalence than residents in the urban area (18%). Ms. Abong said that although hay fever occurs all year round, its cases increase when the weather is humid.
To lessen or ease the symptoms, especially this summer, Ms. Abong gave some tips on how to shoo the achoo:
• households should clean the carpets and beddings every day;
• replace pillows every year;
• clean mattresses regularly and dry them under the sun;
• taking honey and vitamin C helps, too.
Other treatments include allergy education (majority of the victims take hay fever for granted said Ms. Abong), allergen avoidance, and allergen immunotherapy or allergy shots.
There are also medications like Bilastine, a non-sedating, second-generation antihistamine allergy drug which relieves allergic rhinitis and urticaria or hives, an itchy skin rash. Bilastine is a once-daily antihistamine tablet endorsed by the International Therapeutic Guidelines and the only drug so far that has met the Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact of on Asthma guidelines set in 2010. Mr. Mosges said that there has been no new technology on allergy control since 1988.
Bilastine, according to him, is the best of its class. Bilastine, a prescription drug, costs P27 per tablet and can be taken by people age 12 years old and above. --Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman
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