Should people with allergic rhinitis avoid certain foods?

Written by Xu Qing Tian
Otolaryngology
Updated on May 20, 2025
00:00
00:00

Patients with allergic rhinitis need to avoid certain foods. Allergic rhinitis is a common otolaryngological disease, mainly caused by the patient's exposure to allergens in food or air, leading to acute edema and congestion of the nasal mucosa. Allergens can be varied, including dust mites and pollen in the air, as well as foods like seafood, fish, and shrimp. Therefore, if allergic rhinitis is caused by food allergens, especially fish and seafood, patients should be cautious and avoid consuming these foods in daily life. Additionally, patients should also reduce the intake of spicy and irritating foods, as these may also exacerbate and cause recurrent allergic rhinitis.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
46sec home-news-image

How to diagnose allergic rhinitis?

Allergic rhinitis is a relatively common otolaryngological disease, with numerous clinical symptoms. The most common symptoms are itchy nose, clear runny nose, and sneezing. In terms of examination, an allergen test can first be conducted to help identify the specific types of allergens. Currently, a skin prick test or blood test can be considered; both methods can determine the specific allergens. In daily life, it is necessary to avoid these as much as possible. Secondly, a nasopharyngoscope examination should be conducted. Through the nasopharyngoscope examination, the extent of the inflammatory response inside the nasal cavity can be determined. At the same time, it also helps to investigate other diseases in the nasal cavity or nasopharynx.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Jun
Otolaryngology
54sec home-news-image

Allergic rhinitis typical symptoms

Allergic rhinitis is caused by the body's immunity and lower resistance after inhaling relevant allergens in the nasal cavity. Allergens can include mites, dust, pollen, and direct stimulation by cold and warm air, which can cause patients to have paroxysmal sneezing upon waking up. Typically, there are more than three sneezes, and in severe cases, dozens can occur. There is also continuous discharge of clear watery nasal mucus, bilateral nasal congestion, which alternates from side to side. During examination, evident pale swelling of the bilateral inferior turbinates can be found, and the surface may be covered with abnormal secretions. In treatment, allergic rhinitis firstly requires symptomatic antiallergic treatment and, most crucially, patients need to regularly exercise to enhance their immunity and resistance, for allergic rhinitis to gradually improve.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
46sec home-news-image

Symptoms of Allergic Rhinitis

The symptoms of allergic rhinitis are numerous. Common clinical symptoms include repetitive itching of the nose, runny nose, and sneezing, which can occur consecutively several times and are directly triggered by contact with allergens. Common allergens include dust, pollen, seafood, and pets. If the allergic reaction is severe, contact with these allergens can quickly trigger the aforementioned clinical symptoms, characterized by sudden onset of nose itching, clear nasal discharge, and sneezing. In terms of treatment, oral medications and nasal sprays are primarily used. A small portion of patients might consider desensitization therapy or surgical treatment, but it is generally difficult to achieve a complete cure.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
53sec home-news-image

Does allergic rhinitis cause a fever?

Allergic rhinitis generally rarely involves a fever. This is because the main pathogenic mechanism of allergic rhinitis is exposure to allergens, which triggers the body's autoimmune response, leading to common clinical symptoms such as itchy nose, clear nasal discharge, and sneezing, and it may persistently recur. However, overall, it is caused by the body's immune allergic response, without obvious acute bacterial or viral infection, so the likelihood of causing a fever is small. Therefore, in terms of treatment, if there is a fever, it is necessary to investigate whether there is an acute viral or bacterial infection. This can be done by observing clinical symptoms, examining the conditions inside the nasal cavity, and combining this with routine blood tests, which essentially can confirm and determine the diagnosis.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Xu Qing Tian
Otolaryngology
53sec home-news-image

Does allergic rhinitis cause coughing?

Allergic rhinitis can cause symptoms of coughing, as the allergens that patients come into contact with lead to hypersensitivity in the upper airways, triggering bronchospasm. Thus, patients experience irritative coughing and related phenomena. For coughs caused by allergic rhinitis, the primary treatment involves the use of anti-allergy medications. In daily life, it is first necessary to avoid contact with allergens, and allergen testing can be conducted to identify the specific allergens affecting the patient. Additionally, during episodes of allergic rhinitis, patients should use antihistamines, leukotriene inhibitors, and steroid nasal sprays to control the episodes of allergic rhinitis and reduce the symptoms of coughing. (The use of medications should be under the guidance of a doctor.)