What is the Difference Between Asthma and Allergic Rhinitis

The key difference between asthma and allergic rhinitis is that the immediate reaction in asthma is bronchospasm, while the immediate reactions in allergic rhinitis are nasal congestion and runny nose.

Normally, exposure to an allergen triggers an immediate reaction in the body. This immediate reaction is coordinated by mast cells and their mediators, such as histamines, leukotrienes, and prostaglandins. Asthma and allergic rhinitis are two medical conditions due to allergen exposure. However, the immediate reaction that occurs in both conditions differs from one another.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Asthma  
3. What is Allergic Rhinitis
4. Similarities – Asthma and Allergic Rhinitis
5. Asthma vs Allergic Rhinitis in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Asthma vs Allergic Rhinitis

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a long time disease in the lungs. Asthma causes airways to get inflamed and narrow (bronchospasm). This ultimately makes it hard to breathe. When asthma turns severe, it can cause trouble talking or being active. Asthma is also a chronic respiratory disease, and some refer to asthma as bronchial asthma. Asthma is a serious disease that affects approximately 25 million Americans every year. It also causes nearly 1.6 million emergency room visits in America each year. An asthma attack is an episode where bands of muscle around the airways are tightened. This tightening causes bronchospasm. During this, the airways become swollen or inflamed. Further, in this attack, the cell lining of the airways makes thicker mucus than normal.

The symptoms of asthma may include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, tightness, pain or pressure in the chest, trouble sleeping due to breathing problems, difficulty talking, feelings of anxiety or panic, pale, sweaty face, and blue lips or fingernails. The causes of asthma are infections like sinusitis, cold, flu, allergens (mold, pet dander, and dust mites), irritants like strong odours from perfumes, air pollution, tobacco smoke, exercise, cold or changes in the weather, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), strong emotions like anxiety, medications (aspirin) and food preservatives called sulphites. It can be diagnosed through medical history, physical examination, spirometry, peak flow, methacholine challenge, exhaled nitric oxide test, chest X-ray, CT scan, allergy test, and sputum eosinophils. Furthermore, treatment options for this condition include inhaled corticosteroids, leukotriene modifiers, long-acting beta agonists, combination inhalers, theophylline, short-acting beta-agonists, anticholinergics, oral or intravenous corticosteroids, and home remedies (yoga, acupuncture, and supplements like vitamin C).

What is Allergic Rhinitis?

Allergic rhinitis, also called hay fever, is an allergic reaction to tiny particles in the air called allergens. In America, 15% to 20% of the population has allergic rhinitis. Millions of children and adults experience allergic rhinitis every year. The causes of allergic rhinitis include dust mites, pollen from trees, grass and weeds, pet dander, mold spores, cockroaches, and food allergens. Moreover, the symptoms of allergic rhinitis are nasal congestion, sneezing, runny nose, itchy nose, throat, and eyes, headaches, sinus pain, dark circles under eyes, increased mucus in nose and throat, fatigue, sore throat (post nasal drip), wheezing, coughing, and trouble breathing.

Allergic rhinitis is diagnosed through physical examination, blood test (immunoglobulin E test), and skin prick test. Furthermore, treatment options for allergic rhinitis include antihistamines, decongestants, corticosteroid nasal spray, leukotriene inhibitors, and immunotherapy.

What are the Similarities Between Asthma and Allergic Rhinitis?

• Asthma and allergic rhinitis are two medical conditions due to allergen exposure.
• Both conditions can be caused by allergens like pet dander and dust mites.
• These conditions may produce similar symptoms, such as wheezing, coughing, trouble breathing, and chest pain.
• Both conditions can be diagnosed through physical examination and blood tests.
• They are treated through corticosteroids and leukotriene inhibitors.

What is the Difference Between Asthma and Allergic Rhinitis?

The immediate reaction in asthma results in bronchospasm, while the immediate reaction in allergic rhinitis results in nasal congestion and runny nose. This is the key difference between asthma and allergic rhinitis. Furthermore, asthma is a chronic condition, while allergic rhinitis is an acute or chronic condition.

The below infographic presents the differences between asthma and allergic rhinitis in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Asthma vs Allergic Rhinitis

Asthma and allergic rhinitis are two medical conditions due to allergen exposure. Both these conditions can be caused by allergens like pet dander and dust mites. However, the immediate reaction in asthma results in bronchospasm, while the immediate reaction in allergic rhinitis results in nasal congestion and runny nose. So, this is the key difference between asthma and allergic rhinitis.

Reference:

1. “Asthma.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
2. “Allergic Rhinitis.” NHS Choices, NHS.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Asthma (Lungs)” By BruceBlaus – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Depiction of a person suffering from Allergic Rhinitis” By Myupchar – (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia