Although allergic rhinitis is rarely life-threatening, its symptoms can cause extreme discomfort and impairment in the ability to function at work, school and leisure activities. In addition, untreated allergies lead to complications such as sinusitis, asthma, ear infections and dental malformations. In some patients, the symptoms of allergic rhinitis are mild and seasonal, while others experience severe symptoms almost continually. Patients with allergic rhinitis are, on the average, symptomatic for nine months each year.
Morbidity associated with allergic rhinitis has significant economic consequences.
The disorder is equally common in men and women. While allergic rhinitis may develop at any age, approximately 70 percent of patients develop the disorder before the age of 30. The incidence is highest between the ages of 15 and 25 years. There is evidence of a genetic predisposition to allergic disorders. Allergy is found in roughly a third of children who have one parent or sibling with a history of allergic disease and a little less than two thirds in children of two such parents.