Executive summary of Joint Task Force Practice Parameters on Diagnosis andManagement of Rhinitis

Rhinitis is a significant cause of widespread morbidity, medical treatment costs, reduced work productivity and lost school days. Although sometimes m istakenly viewed as a trivial disease, symptoms of allergic and non-allergi c rhinitis may significantly impact a patient's quality of life, by causing fatigue, headache, cognitive impairment and other systemic symptoms. In ad dition, many antihistamines commonly used for treatment can themselves caus e performance impairment that may contribute to fatal automobile accidents, work place accidents, decreased work productivity and in children, impaire d school performance. Appropriate manage ment of rhinitis may be an importa nt component in effective management of coexisting or complicating respirat ory conditions, such as asthma, sinusitis, or chronic otitis media. Rhiniti s may be caused by allergic, non-allergic, infectious, hormonal, occupation al, and other factors. Defining the causes of rhinitis in an individual is important because different rhinitis syndromes may require different therap eutic approaches for optimal management, an important consideration as more treatment options become available. This Executive Summary reviews key points about diagnosis and management of rhinitis contained in the comprehensive document, Diagnosis and Management of Rhinitis: Complete Guidelines of Joint Task Force on Practice Parameter s in Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, and Joint Task Force Algorithm and Ann otations for Diagnosis and Management of Rhinitis. These documents represen t a consensus opinion of the Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters in All ergy, Asthma and Immunology, a national panel co-sponsored by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, and the Joint Council on Allergy, Asthma and Immuno logy.