Allergic rhinitis during a coronavirus pandemic: difficulties of diagnosis and features of therapy

Rhinitis can be of various etiologies. More often it is an infectious process (bacterial, viral) or clinical manifestations of an immediate allergic reaction. Other factors that provoke the development of rhinitis, for example, irritating substances, a number of drugs, hormonal imbalance, neurovegetative dysfunction, viruses are known. Doctors of various specialties are familiar with allergic rhinitis (AR) in their practice. In a number of cases there can be some difficulties in the differential diagnosis of rhinitis, the correct diagnosis and the appointment of adequate therapy. The COVID-19 epidemic (“coronavirus disease 2019”) has already been imprinted in the global history as an emergency of international importance. Scientific medical communities continue to study the characteristics of this epidemic, which is regarded by WHO as a pandemic. In a short period (from January 2020), there has been accumulated enough information about the etiology, features of the clinical manifestations of this disease, diagnostic methods have been developed, and clinical approaches and treatment regimens continue to be developed. The pandemic coincided with successive pollen seasons of trees, grasses and weeds. At the beginning of the pollen season, doctors were concerned about the possible difficulty in differential diagnosis of allergic rhinitis, manifestations of coronavirus and other viral infections. In the process of monitoring patients, more and more data has been accumulated, indicating the features of the clinical characteristics of COVID-19, influenza, acute respiratory infections, seasonal allergic rhinitis (rhinoconjunctivitis). Undoubtedly, information is still being accumulating and enriching day by day. AR is not only the most common form of rhinitis, but one of the most common diseases in children and adults. It is known about the pronounced negative effect of AR symptoms on the patient’s quality of life: normal daily activity, cognitive functions, mood, sleep. The severity of AR symptoms varies from minimal clinical manifestations to severe. Therapy should be directed towards the general control of AR symptoms. Over the past decades, the concept of phenotyping (definition of a disease by its clinical manifestations) and endotyping (based on the pathobiological mechanisms of the disease) has been developed. The belonging of AR in a particular patient to a certain phenotype plays a key role in choosing the most effective therapy and requires a personalized approach to treatment. The article provides frequently asked questions regarding AR treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. The role of intranasal corticosteroids (InHCS), which are the most effective drugs in AR therapy, is discussed, due to their pronounced anti-inflammatory effect and influence on all stages of the pathogenesis of the disease. Mometasone furoate nasal spray has the widest indications among all InHCS drugs registered in our country.