Exercise-induced rhinitis: you may not have heard of it, but you might have experienced it. EIR is a common disorder associated with one or more symptoms including sneezing, a runny nose, nasal congestion and an itchy nose brought on by exercising. It isn’t as well-documented as other allergic responses to physical activity, such as asthma or urticaria (hives), but studies have shown that it commonly occurs in athletes, even if they don’t have an underlying nasal allergy. In fact, between 27 and 74 per cent of athletes are known to have some type of rhinitis. If you find you get a runny nose every time you go for a run, EIR could be the culprit.
