Aishwarya Iyer
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Long hours in air-conditioned rooms can seem like a boon in such a hot climate. However, it isn't all that great if we talk about some ailments that could be caused or triggered by air conditioners (AC). Your frequent episodes of cold, cough, sneezing, running nose and headaches could be because of the air conditioning at work or home.
Dr Divya Prabhat, ENT specialist, SL Raheja Hospital talks about allergic rhinitis in greater detail. Allergic rhinitis, also known as hay fever is an inflammation of the nose as a reaction to the allergens in the air. Sneezing, stuffy nose, nose block, red/itchy eyes, or swelling around the eyes could be some of its symptoms.
'Allergic Rhinitis is a triad of sneezing, nasal discharge and nasal block, in response to an allergen,' explains Dr Prabhat. Here'sall you need to know about hay fever!
ACs provide a favourable site for fungal molds which are very potent allergens. The humid ducts, water leaks within ACs and sustained cool temperatures make it a potential site for the fungal molds. 'Spending long hours in a closed air-conditioned room definitely leads to allergic conditions, especially for the susceptible population. Also filters of ACs are dust laden and these too worsen allergic symptoms amongst patients.'
Here are some tips to cure rhinitis
However, there could be various triggers for rhinitis apart from ACs like pollen allergens, dust allergens etc. The best way to prevent it is to have a diet consisting of fresh fruits, doing physical exercises, having good sleep and drinking plenty of water.
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