Non-allergic chronic rhinitis in children: What can we know of the influence of trigger factors on the course of the disease?

The article focuses on the issue of non-allergic rhinitis. Non-allergic chronic rhinitis is an umbrella diagnosis and contains all other chronic rhinitis phenotypes of different aetiology and pathogenesis, which are not associated with allergic and infectious inflammation, but are permanently or periodically manifested by similar clinical symptoms: nasal congestion, anterior and posterior rhinorrhoea, sneezing/itching in the nasal cavity. The recent studies on the epidemiology of non-allergic chronic rhinitis in the general population show that 10.9% to 28% people have this disorder. In Russia, there are about 100,000 patients diagnosed with vasomotor rhinitis according to the Russian rhinologic society experts’ opinion. Not questioning the statement that the chronic rhinitis mainly affects adults, we however can observe this disease in children. The trigger factors of rhinitis are described in detail as follows: low-molecular substances with molecular weights of <5 kilodalton (kDa), which provoke non-allergic inflammatory reactions of the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity or contribute to the current inflammatory process. The attention is also paid to the primary mechanisms minimizing the influence of these factors, especially in paediatric practice, focusing on the regular use of irrigation and elimination therapy. The nasal cavity irrigation results in reduced number of antigenic structures and trigger molecules that enter the nasal cavity and come in contact with the mucus membranes when you breathe. Today, the irrigation and elimination therapy with saline solutions is an integral part of the therapy for healing the inflammatory rhinological disorder, which is reflected in some national clinical guidelines and international consensus documents. However, the studies on the use of irrigation and elimination therapy in non-allergic chronic rhinitis are rare.