The united allergic airway: connections between allergic rhinitis, asthma, and chronic sinusitis

• Published in: American journal of rhinology & allergy Vol. 26; no. 3; pp. 187 - 190
• Main Authors: Feng, Charles H, Miller, Michaela D, Simon, Ronald A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States OceanSide Publications, Inc 01-05-2012
• Subjects: Adrenal Cortex Hormones - therapeutic use; Asthma - drug therapy; Asthma - immunology; Chronic Disease; Histamine Antagonists - therapeutic use; Humans; Models, Immunological; Respiratory System - immunology; Respiratory System - pathology; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial - drug therapy; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial - immunology; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal - drug therapy; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal - immunology; Sinusitis - drug therapy; Sinusitis - immunology
• ISSN: 1945-8924; 1945-8932
• DOI: 10.2500/ajra.2012.26.3762

The united allergic airway is a theory that connects allergic rhinitis (AR), chronic rhinosinusitis, and asthma, in which seemingly disparate diseases, instead of being thought of separately, are instead viewed as arising from a common atopic entity.
This article describes patients with such diseases; explores ideas suggesting a unified pathogenesis; elucidates the various treatment modalities available, emphasizing nasal corticosteroids and antihistamines; and provides an update of the literature.
A literature review was conducted.
The aggregation of research suggests that AR, asthma, and chronic rhinosinusitis are linked by the united allergic airway, a notion that encompasses commonalities in pathophysiology, epidemiology, and treatment.