Former AAOA Heads Take on Allergic Rhinitis

TORONTO-An expert panel containing three former American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy presidents recently provided a look at the future of allergic rhinitis, as well as a refresher on how best to treat it.

During the course of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) annual meeting here, AAOA past presidents J. David Osguthorpe, MD; M. Jennifer Derebery, MD; Edwyn L. Boyd, MD; and moderator Berrylin J. Ferguson, MD, presented Allergic Rhinitis: What’s True About What’s New.

According to Dr. Osguthorpe, more than 50 million Americans suffer from allergic diseases. Allergy is said to be a causative factor in up to 50% of patients presenting at otolaryngology offices. Patients with perennial or seasonal nasal congestion and sneezing, or with chronic rhinosinusitis, as well as those in whom the role of allergy is not commonly considered, such as those with hoarseness, disordered sleep, and the sequelae of eustachian tube dysfunction, all fit within this description.