April Allergy Quiz

Our short quiz tests your basic allergy IQ as well as what you might not know about emerging therapy.

 

Question 1:

A 15-year-old girl is seen for a follow-up visit to treat seasonal allergic rhinitis. She has classic symptoms of the condition, including nasal congestion and rhinorrhea (without signs of purulence), scleral injection, and watery discharge from the eyes. Her symptoms worsen in the spring when she plays softball outside. She has not had adequate response to empiric treatment, including frequently washing her clothes and bed linens and avoidance of freshly cut grass. She was prescribed combination antihistamine and corticosteroid intranasal spray without adequate relief.


 

References:

1. Seidman MD, Gurgel RK, Lin SY, et al for Guideline Otolaryngology Development Group. AAO-HNSF. Clinical practice guideline: Allergic rhinitis. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2015;152:S1-43. doi: 10.1177/0194599814561600 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25644617

2. American Academy of Ophthalmology. Conjunctivitis PPP 2013. Accessed March 17, 2017 at https://www.aao.org/preferred-practice-pattern/conjunctivitis-ppp--2013

3. Lombardi C, Melli V, Incorvaia C, et al. Pharmacoeconomics of sublingual immunotherapy with the 5-grass pollen tablets for seasonal allergic rhinitis. Clin Mol Allergy. 2017;15:5. doi: 10.1186/s12948-017-0058-3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5340071/

4. Dennis-Wall JC, Culpepper T, Nieves C Jr, et al. Probiotics (Lactobacillus gasseri KS-13, Bifidobacterium bifidum G9-1, and Bifidobacterium longum MM-2) improve rhinoconjunctivitis-specific quality of life in individuals with seasonal allergies: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2017;105:758-767. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.116.140012. Epub 2017 Feb 22. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/105/3/758.long

5. Lang DM, Nickles RA, Oppenheimer J, et al. The diagnosis and management of rhinitis: an updated practice pareameter. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2008; 122:S1-84. Accessed March 23 2017 at: https://www.aaaai.org/Aaaai/media/MediaLibrary/PDF%20Documents/Practice%20and%20Parameters/rhinitis2008-diagnosis-management.pdf