Exploring the Relationship between Allergic Rhinitis and Constitution Based on the "traditional Chinese Medicine Constitution Theory"

Abstract

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a prevalent allergic disease affecting individuals of all ages, especially children and adolescents. Patients with AR develop a specific immunoglobulin E antibody response to allergens, including pollen, mold, dust mites, and animal dander. The main symptoms of AR patients include nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, sneezing, and nasal itching. Symptoms such as these can interfere with the patient's sleep and quality of life when they become severe. Moreover, AR contributes too many complications, can exacerbate asthma, and has a negative impact on productivity and social costs. Therefore, the current review focuses on how to treat AR effectively. This review discusses the correlation between AR and constitution from the perspective of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Constitution Theory in light of increasing research on AR in TCM. The constitution is adjustable, and adjusting the patient's biased constitution can improve the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of the disease. TCM constitution is critical in AR pathogenesis, and both are closely linked. TCM constitution theory can be applied to treat AR with positive effects, which merits popularization and application, and provides a new approach to the treatment of AR.