Harefuah
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Allergic rhinitis causes major illness and disability worldwide, but it is still underdiagnosed and undertreated. Allergic rhinitis is a risk factor for both the development and for exacerbations of asthma. Up to 30% of patients with rhinitis suffer from asthma, and the majority of patients with asthma suffer from rhinitis. ⋯ Due to new studies and diagnostic techniques the ARIA guidelines, initially formed in 1999, were recently updated. They are intended for specialists, general physicians and health care providers in order to increase the knowledge on allergic rhinitis and its impact on asthma and to provide evidence-based revision on the diagnostic methods, treatments and a stepwise approach to management. There is a need for a collaborative effort of all specialists and primary physicians involved in the treatment of rhinitis and asthma for the proper implementation of the guidelines.
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During the last decade, the production of medical information has doubled every 14 months. It is predicted that information will double at an even faster rate. This dramatic rate of changing medical knowledge presents a challenge for physicians to keep up to date. ⋯ If the new information has been proven to be reliable and relevant, it is integrated into existing information systems to be used by physicians all over the world. This approach is called evidence-based medicine. This review will summarize the four leading clinical databases which are evidence based medicine oriented: Dynamed, Cochrane Library, Trip database and Attract, and short presentation of the best evidence based medicine "secondary literature".