Feb 2, 2015

This podcast highlights a clinical practice guideline on allergic rhinitis that is published as a February 2015 supplement to Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, the official journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) Foundation. In the second of two podcasts for this supplement, Editor in chief John Krouse is joined by co-authors Jesse Hackell and Mark Dykewicz in discussing implications of the guidelines for primary care physicians and pediatricians.

Allergic rhinitis is the most common chronic condition affecting children in the United States today.  It is responsible for impaired quality of life and is associated with decreased work and school attendance and decreased productivity and efficiency.  It is important for primary care clinicians to consider a diagnosis of allergic rhinitis in all children who present with the classic symptoms of sneezing, nasal itching, anterior and posterior discharge, and nasal congestion.  The authors also discuss the role for allergy testing and immunotherapy in patients with allergic rhinitis, and look at issues such as prevention and environmental control measures in this podcast.