Dr Soma Subramaniam was the featuring ENT specialist in a Channel NewsAsia
Brand Studio feature on allergic rhinitis, published on 29 July 2026. Credited as
senior consultant and medical director of ENT Plus Specialist Centre, he explains
how to tell allergic rhinitis apart from a cold, why house dust mites are a
year-round trigger in Singapore’s climate, and why the condition should not be
written off as a passing inconvenience.
Allergic rhinitis is a chronic inflammatory condition that can
usually be managed effectively with appropriate treatment to minimise symptoms in
the long term.
The feature notes that allergic rhinitis is estimated to affect more than 30
per cent of people in Singapore, mostly children and young adults, yet a large
share of cases go undiagnosed and untreated. In a 2024 local study of Chinese
young adults, about 85 per cent of those with the condition had not been
diagnosed and 73 per cent were not receiving treatment, despite 68 per cent
having moderate-to-severe disease.
Dr Soma covers practical allergen-avoidance measures, such as washing
bedsheets and pillowcases regularly at 60°C, and explains why regular
preventive treatment can be more effective than treating flare-ups after they
occur for patients with severe persistent symptoms. He also advises patients
whose symptoms persist despite regular treatment to seek assessment, as chronic
sinusitis or nasal polyps may be contributing.
For patients with persistent allergic rhinitis, the most effective
approach is usually a combination of allergen avoidance, appropriate medication
and regular follow-up when symptoms remain.
