1. Rhinitis and rhinorrhoea are caused by allergies, cold, chemical or drug damage, cold air or physical damage.

2. Alpha 1 agonists – ephedrine. Antihistamines – loratadine. Corticosteroids – beclomethasone. Anti-allergy drugs – sodium cromoglycate. Mycolytics – mesna. Diverse drugs – volatile oils (pine oil).

3. There are decongestants that have a direct action, mixed action or indirect action. Some decongestants are short-acting (4 to 6 hours), intermediary acting (8 to 10 hours) or long-acting (12 hours). They are normally administered topically.

4. It is a condition that may present following chronic treatment with decongestants, where the permanent vasoconstriction with poor local blood supply leads to damage of the mucous membranes of the nose with permanent inflammation and swelling, as well as deregulation of the a‑adrenergic receptors on the blood vessels, rendering them unresponsive towards the a‑agonists.

Decongestants are used to treat this condition. Corticosteroids can also be used in combination with decongestants.

5. First-generation antihistamines are multipotent competing antagonists and also block muscarinic receptors. They can cause sedation.

Second-generation antihistamines do not block muscarinic receptors and are useful in the long-term or short-term treatment of allergic rhinitis. They do not cause sedation. These drugs do not help to clear up cold rhinitis because histamine plays no part in cold rhinitis (but bradykinin does).

6. Corticosteroids are weakly absorbed systemically but in large doses they can cause effects. They are administered with nasal sprays.

Anti-allergy drugs are effective for the prophylactic treatment of allergic rhinitis. They are administered with nasal sprays.

Mesna is useful when the nasal secretion is sticky. It is administered with nasal sprays.

Normal salt solutions humidify the dry, inflamed mucous membranes of the nose. They are administered as nose drops.