耳鼻咽喉头颈外科学并没有对慢性鼻炎的病程作特别约定。笼统地讲，慢性鼻炎包括变应性鼻炎、非变应性鼻炎两大类。
变应性鼻炎具有相对清楚的定义，而非变应性鼻炎基本上就是个笼统概念，包罗了变应性鼻炎之外的慢性鼻炎。所以也有人把非变应性鼻炎称为“非变应性鼻炎综合征”。
需要注意的是，变应性鼻炎、非变应性鼻炎可以同时存在，这类情况称为“混合性鼻炎”。
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