Final answer:
Allergic rhinitis involves an immune system overreaction to allergens, leading to symptoms like red nasal turbinates and a transverse nasal crease. The condition is characterized by quick onset of symptoms due to mast cell degranulation and release of histamines causing inflammation.
Step-by-step explanation:
A patient with allergic rhinitis may present with a variety of symptoms caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to allergens. Symptoms can include red, watery, and itchy eyes, sneezing, and runny nose, which are typical signs of allergies such as hay fever. Venodilation leads to red nasal turbinates due to increased blood flow, while the habit of rubbing the nose in response to itching can result in a transverse nasal crease.
Allergic rhinitis is an immune system reaction to typically harmless substances such as pollen. The immune system can mistakenly respond to these foreign substances as if they were pathogens, leading to the production of histamines, which in turn cause inflammation and various allergy symptoms. Immediate hypersensitivity reactions, including nasal edema and runny nose, occur rapidly due to the release of mediators with mast cell degranulation upon exposure to allergens.