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Allergic rhinitis - Management
What follow-up advice can I give to someone on treatment with well controlled symptoms of allergic rhinitis?
- Advise people who have achieved adequate control of their symptoms with drug treatment that they should continue with treatment until they are no longer likely to be exposed to the suspected allergen:
- For people allergic to house dust mites and people allergic to pets that remain in their homes, symptoms are usually present throughout the year, requiring ongoing treatment.
- For people allergic to tree pollens, treatment is usually required from early to late spring.
- For people allergic to grass pollens, treatment is usually required from late spring to early summer.
- Advise people who have recurrent episodes of allergic rhinitis controlled by intranasal corticosteroids to restart treatment at least 7 days before re-exposure to allergen. When the time of re–exposure to antigen is uncertain, such as the start of the pollination season, start treatment several weeks before the most likely time of re–exposure.
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