ABSTRACT
Rhinitis, inflammation of the nasal mucosa, is a pathological conditiona that is often associated with a constellation of symptoms (if identifiable only by selfassessment) and signs (if also identifiable by observer assessment) that we term the rhinitis symptom-sign complex (rSSC). In discussing rhinitis, it is important to identify the referenced disease condition as either that embodied by the Old French derivation, desaiseb corresponding to the rSSC or the broader, more contemporary usage as pathologyc. This distinction creates a nested definition, wherein the rSSC is a (presumably) sufficient but not sole marker of disease. Nonetheless, in the usual clinical setting, rhinitis diagnosis by an rSSC is common because patients present on that basis.
