Rhinitis and Sinusitis

Rhinitis is defined as inflammation of the nose, which can extend into and affect the sinuses. The term rhinosinusitis is used to describe inflammation of both the nose and the sinuses. An example of rhinitis is allergic rhinitis, caused by sensitization and exposure to aeroallergens, which, along with other allergic diseases, such as asthma, affect up to one-third of women in the childbearing age. The most common type of rhinosinusitis is infectious, either acute or chronic, which commonly occurs secondarily to a viral respiratory tract infection. Both rhinitis and rhinosinusitis significantly affect the quality of life. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce and describe the differential diagnosis and treatment of these two common clinical entities during pregnancy.