Asia Pac Allergy.  2011 Oct;1(3):115-122. 10.5415/apallergy.2011.1.3.115.

Rhinitis in children less than 6 years of age: current knowledge and challenges

• Hardjojo A
• Shek LP
• van Bever
• Lee BW

• KMID: 2397429
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5415/apallergy.2011.1.3.115

Abstract

Rhinitis is a disease of the upper airway characterized by runny and/or blocked nose and/or sneezing. Though not viewed as a life threatening condition, it is also recognized to impose significant burden to the quality of life of sufferers and their caretakers and imposes an economic cost to society. Through a PubMed online search of the literature from 2006 to September 2011, this paper aims to review the published literature on rhinitis in young children below the age of 6 years. It is apparent from epidemiology studies that rhinitis in this age group is a relatively common problem. The condition has a heterogenous etiology with classification into allergic and non-allergic rhinitis. Respiratory viral infections may play a role in the pathogenesis of long standing rhinitis, but definitive studies are still lacking. Treatment guidelines for management are lacking for this age group, and is a significant unmet need. Although the consensus is that co-morbidities including otitis media with effusion, adenoidal hypertrophy and asthma, are important considerations of management of these children. Pharmacotherapy is limited for young children especially for those below the age of 2 years. This review underscores the lack of understanding of rhinitis in early childhood and therefore the need for further research in this area.

Keyword

Rhinitis; Preschool; Review; Risk factors; Prevalence

MeSH Terms

Adenoids
Asthma
Child*
Classification
Consensus
Drug Therapy
Epidemiology
Humans
Hypertrophy
Nose
Otitis Media with Effusion
Prevalence
Quality of Life
Rhinitis*
Risk Factors
Sneezing

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 The workflow of the literature review. *Criteria: 1. Study analyzed rhinitis separately from other disease conditions; 2. Study analyzes subjects aged 6 and below separately from subjects aged >6.

• 

  Fig. 2 Classification of etiologies of rhinitis in childhood. non-allergic rhinitis with eosinophilic syndrome, occupational, drug-induced and hormonal removed from model due to their rarity or inapplicability in childhood.

• 

  Fig. 3 Relationship of rhinitis and its co-morbidities.

• 

  Fig. 4 Proposed approach to the clinical management of rhinitis in young children.

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