Should nasal allergen challenge become part of standard allergy practice in U.S.?

Allergic rhinitis is a group of symptoms affecting the nose such as runny nose, congestion, sneezing and itchy eyes. These symptoms occur when you breathe in something you are allergic to, such as dust, animal dander, or pollen. Allergic rhinitis affects between 20% and 40% of people.

Nasal allergen challenge (NAC) is a potentially important tool to diagnose allergic rhinitis. It is not frequently used in the U.S.

The EAACI task force recommends a unified protocol for NAC for daily clinical practice. Among the recommendations:

- bilaterally challenge with standardized allergens, with a spray device offering 0.1 ml per nostril.

- systematic catalogue for positivity criteria for established subjective and objective assessment methods as well as a schedule for the challenge procedure



Treatment Options for 
Allergic Rhinitis (AR) (click to enlarge the image).

References:

EAACI Position Paper on the Standardization of Nasal Allergen Challenges http://bit.ly/2nuOJdx