Allergic rhinitis, more commonly referred to as hay fever, shares several key symptoms with other diseases such as the common cold and flu. These commonalities may pose a problem for doctors when trying to pinpoint a diagnosis. So the best way to guard against a misdiagnosis is to provide the doctors with, as many details about your symptoms no matter how irrelevant some might seem. More than one type of rhinitis exist; so even if a patient experiences allergic rhinitis symptoms, a doctor may diagnose the patient with Atropic Rhinitis, Perennial Rhinitis (a.k.a. “Vasomotor Rhinitis”) or Acute Rhinitis. To separate allergic rhinitis from related diseases, doctors require a thorough medical history and a physical exam. In some cases a rhinopharyngoscopy may be needed.
The rhinopharyngoscopy procedure helps doctors distinguish allergic and immunologic (relating to the immune system) symptoms. Specialists utilize the rhinopharyngoscopy, because the procedure is non-invasive and bares no risk of serious complications.
