Summer Sinus Problems

Six Ways to Avoid the Misery

Written by David Freeman

• 1. Watch out for pollen.
• 2. Stock up on nasal spray.
• 3. Try douching.
• 4. Steer clear of irritants.
• 5. Take special precautions when flying.
• 6. Choose medicines carefully.
• More

If you’re among the 37 million Americans who suffer from sinus problems, you know just how miserable the symptoms can make you feel. The congestion. The facial pain. The postnasal drip-drip-drip.

Summer often brings a bit of a respite, as the cold viruses that trigger most cases of sinusitis are less active in warm weather. And, experts say the sinus problems that do crop up in summer can often be avoided — if you take these six precautions:

In most parts of the country, the air outdoors is filled with pollen in summer months. Pollen is harmless to most people. But for some, breathing pollen-laden air can cause symptoms ranging from sneezing and itchy, watery eyes to nasal congestion — which, in turn, can bring sinus trouble.

There’s no way to avoid pollen entirely. “It’s blowing all over the place,” says James Stankiewicz, MD, chairman of the department of otolaryngology at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. “You can’t put yourself in a bubble, and surgical masks don’t filter everything out.”

But, it helps to stay indoors in the morning hours, when pollen levels peak, he says. When indoors or in your car, keep the windows up and the air conditioner on.

A HEPA air filter and vacuum cleaner can be helpful, especially if your home is carpeted. And, if you have a dog that spends time outside, bathing it regularly during the summer months will help keep it from tracking pollen throughout your house.

Hay fever sufferers who are planning a summer getaway may want to check pollen levels at their destination before finalizing an itinerary. A week at the beach (where pollen levels tend to be low) might make more sense than a week of camping.

Because sinus infections typically start off as colds, steps you take to ward off cold-causing rhinoviruses also help safeguard your sinuses.

One of the most important precautions is to keep your nasal passages moist. You can do this with the help of an over-the-counter salt water (saline) spray. Keep a bottle handy, and give each nostril a blast several times a day.

Nasal douching, that is. It moistens nasal passages and helps rid the nose of bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens that can lead to sinus pain and inflammation.

Nasal douching, a.k.a. nasal irrigation, is easy to do: Once a day, lean over the sink, tilt your head, and rinse out your nostrils with warm salt water.

“You can do this in less than five minutes,” says Scott P. Stringer, MD, chairman of otolaryngology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. “Make it part of your tooth brushing routine. You just need about two tablespoons of water for each side.”

If you find it hard to manipulate a squeeze bottle or bulb, try a neti pot. That’s a receptacle specially designed for nasal douching.

The mucous membrane that lines the nostrils and sinuses can be damaged by various irritants, including automobile exhaust, smog, mold spores, and smoke from a campfire or cigarettes. So, do what you can to limit your exposure.

“Smoke is the single worst thing for the sinus sufferer,” says Denver-based sinus specialist (and former sinus sufferer) Robert S. Ivker, DO, author of Sinus Survival. “It damages the delicate cilia and the mucous membrane itself.”

Another major offender is the chlorine in swimming pools — particularly indoor pools with limited ventilation. If you spend lots of time in the pool each summer, a nose clip can offer some protection. And, be aware that diving can force water into your nostrils and sinuses.

Unchlorinated water, like that found in unpolluted lakes and rivers and in the ocean, poses little threat to your sinuses.

The bone-dry, often germ-laden air inside the cabin of an airliner is notoriously hostile to sinuses. To protect yours during the onslaught, take along some saline nasal spray and spritz repeatedly while aloft. Drinking lots of water also helps, experts say.

If you’re already experiencing sinus congestion, you might have trouble clearing your ears during the flight. If you can’t postpone your trip, use Afrin (oxymetazoline) nasal spray before takeoff, and swallow repeatedly during ascent and descent. (Because oxymetazoline can be habit forming, doctors warn not to use it more than a few days.)

Nonprescription antihistamines, such as Claritin and Zyrtec, can be quite effective against minor allergy symptoms, including sneezing and a runny, itchy nose. If you’re also bothered by congestion, adding an over-the-counter decongestant such as Sudafed might help. Antihistamine-decongestant combinations are also available; these products often include a “D” in the name, as in Claritin D.

For more severe or persistent symptoms, consult your doctor. You might need a steroid nasal spray or course of antibiotics. If your symptoms are especially bad, you might be a candidate for allergy shots or another form of immunotherapy.

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Summer Sinus Problems

Six Ways to Avoid the Misery

Written by David Freeman

• 1. Watch out for pollen.
• 2. Stock up on nasal spray.
• 3. Try douching.
• 4. Steer clear of irritants.
• 5. Take special precautions when flying.
• 6. Choose medicines carefully.
• More

If you’re among the 37 million Americans who suffer from sinus problems, you know just how miserable the symptoms can make you feel. The congestion. The facial pain. The postnasal drip-drip-drip.

Summer often brings a bit of a respite, as the cold viruses that trigger most cases of sinusitis are less active in warm weather. And, experts say the sinus problems that do crop up in summer can often be avoided — if you take these six precautions:

In most parts of the country, the air outdoors is filled with pollen in summer months. Pollen is harmless to most people. But for some, breathing pollen-laden air can cause symptoms ranging from sneezing and itchy, watery eyes to nasal congestion — which, in turn, can bring sinus trouble.

There’s no way to avoid pollen entirely. “It’s blowing all over the place,” says James Stankiewicz, MD, chairman of the department of otolaryngology at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. “You can’t put yourself in a bubble, and surgical masks don’t filter everything out.”

But, it helps to stay indoors in the morning hours, when pollen levels peak, he says. When indoors or in your car, keep the windows up and the air conditioner on.

A HEPA air filter and vacuum cleaner can be helpful, especially if your home is carpeted. And, if you have a dog that spends time outside, bathing it regularly during the summer months will help keep it from tracking pollen throughout your house.

Hay fever sufferers who are planning a summer getaway may want to check pollen levels at their destination before finalizing an itinerary. A week at the beach (where pollen levels tend to be low) might make more sense than a week of camping.

Because sinus infections typically start off as colds, steps you take to ward off cold-causing rhinoviruses also help safeguard your sinuses.

One of the most important precautions is to keep your nasal passages moist. You can do this with the help of an over-the-counter salt water (saline) spray. Keep a bottle handy, and give each nostril a blast several times a day.

Nasal douching, that is. It moistens nasal passages and helps rid the nose of bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens that can lead to sinus pain and inflammation.

Nasal douching, a.k.a. nasal irrigation, is easy to do: Once a day, lean over the sink, tilt your head, and rinse out your nostrils with warm salt water.

“You can do this in less than five minutes,” says Scott P. Stringer, MD, chairman of otolaryngology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. “Make it part of your tooth brushing routine. You just need about two tablespoons of water for each side.”

If you find it hard to manipulate a squeeze bottle or bulb, try a neti pot. That’s a receptacle specially designed for nasal douching.

The mucous membrane that lines the nostrils and sinuses can be damaged by various irritants, including automobile exhaust, smog, mold spores, and smoke from a campfire or cigarettes. So, do what you can to limit your exposure.

“Smoke is the single worst thing for the sinus sufferer,” says Denver-based sinus specialist (and former sinus sufferer) Robert S. Ivker, DO, author of Sinus Survival. “It damages the delicate cilia and the mucous membrane itself.”

Another major offender is the chlorine in swimming pools — particularly indoor pools with limited ventilation. If you spend lots of time in the pool each summer, a nose clip can offer some protection. And, be aware that diving can force water into your nostrils and sinuses.

Unchlorinated water, like that found in unpolluted lakes and rivers and in the ocean, poses little threat to your sinuses.

The bone-dry, often germ-laden air inside the cabin of an airliner is notoriously hostile to sinuses. To protect yours during the onslaught, take along some saline nasal spray and spritz repeatedly while aloft. Drinking lots of water also helps, experts say.

If you’re already experiencing sinus congestion, you might have trouble clearing your ears during the flight. If you can’t postpone your trip, use Afrin (oxymetazoline) nasal spray before takeoff, and swallow repeatedly during ascent and descent. (Because oxymetazoline can be habit forming, doctors warn not to use it more than a few days.)

Nonprescription antihistamines, such as Claritin and Zyrtec, can be quite effective against minor allergy symptoms, including sneezing and a runny, itchy nose. If you’re also bothered by congestion, adding an over-the-counter decongestant such as Sudafed might help. Antihistamine-decongestant combinations are also available; these products often include a “D” in the name, as in Claritin D.

For more severe or persistent symptoms, consult your doctor. You might need a steroid nasal spray or course of antibiotics. If your symptoms are especially bad, you might be a candidate for allergy shots or another form of immunotherapy.

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Nasal congestion without runny nose – causes and treatment | What to do if the nose is constantly stuffy

Author, editor and medical expert – Petrashevich Anna Alexandrovna.

Editor and medical expert – Harutyunyan Mariam Harutyunovna.

Contents:

Main causes
Is nasal congestion dangerous without a runny nose?
How to treat nasal congestion

Many are familiar with such a condition when there is no runny nose, but the nose still does not breathe. It seems that the problem is less serious, but nasal congestion should not be underestimated, it can negatively affect your overall health, your well-being and performance ^1.3 .

In the absence of nasal breathing, a person does not get enough sleep, and feels sleepy during the day. But at the same time, many do not even pay attention to nasal congestion, because they just got used to it ¹ .

In the article we will talk about the reasons that make it difficult to breathe through the nose and how to restore it.

Main causes

Infection

At the very beginning of a cold, there may be a “dry” period, when a runny nose has not yet developed, but there is a feeling that the nose is blocked. This state usually lasts for several days. In the mucous membrane infected with viruses or bacteria, inflammation is already occurring, it gradually swells, but has not yet passed into the “wet” stage, when abundant mucus secretion begins ⁶ .

This picture is especially typical for influenza. With it, nasal congestion bothers more than a runny nose, the latter can occur on the second day after the onset of the disease ⁷ .

Allergy

Allergy is a common inflammatory reaction. Unlike infectious inflammation, allergies are not provoked by pathogens, but by completely harmless substances that enter the body from the outside – they are called allergens ⁴ . Allergens can be animal hair, plant pollen, house dust ⁴ . Upon contact with the causative allergen, the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity swells ¹ . It swells so much that it completely blocks the nasal passages ¹² and causes nasal congestion with or without a runny nose ¹² .

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Irritation

Some people have nasal congestion without a runny nose due to an unusual reaction to weather, temperature, smells ¹ . Moreover, nasal breathing worsens immediately after contact with a provoking factor ⁸ so people often think they have allergies. In fact, this condition is more like a “neurosis” of the nose, because the “irritants” that cause nasal congestion are not allergens ¹ .

Irritation may be provoked by:

• cold ¹ ;
• dry and polluted air ⁸ ;
• temperature differences ^1.16 ;
• lying down ¹ ;
• tobacco smoke ¹³ ;
• strong odors ^13.16 .

Nose injuries

The most fragile and vulnerable part of the skull is the nose. The most commonly affected cartilage is the nasal septum ²⁰ . Immediately after a blow or fall, swelling of the nasal mucosa develops ²¹ , hemorrhage in the nasal septum ¹² and its deformation. This can cause nasal congestion without a runny nose ²⁰ .

Deviated septum

A deviated nasal septum can put pressure on the opposite wall of the nose, the concha. In such cases, mechanical irritation of the mucous membrane occurs, and the latter, in response, increases the production of mucus and swells. Therefore, a person may not let go of nasal congestion, but without a runny nose ^8.12 .

Hormonal changes

Nasal congestion without a runny nose is a common problem for women taking birth control pills, pregnant women and people with various hormonal disorders. Changes in the hormonal background in the body increase the sensitivity of nerve endings, causing the vessels of the nasal cavity to swell, making it difficult to breathe through the nose ⁸ .

Taking certain medications

If you carefully study the instructions that come with the medicine, you will find that the list of side effects includes nasal congestion without a runny nose ⁸ : This problem often occurs in people who take drugs to reduce blood pressure, aspirin, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (painkillers, antipyretics, anti-inflammatory drugs) ⁸ .

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Sinusitis

Violation of nasal breathing occurs in sinusitis – inflammation of the paranasal sinuses. Their mucous membrane may swell, covering the narrow canal that connects the nasal cavity with the sinus ² . This creates favorable conditions for the reproduction of bacteria and the preservation of sluggish inflammation ¹⁵ .

Adenoids

When a child has a stuffy nose and no runny nose, you need to show it to an ENT doctor. Sometimes the doctor detects adenoids – overgrown tonsils in the nasopharynx, and often – their inflammation, adenoiditis ^2.12 .

Note to parents!

Due to constant breathing through the mouth, the face of a child with adenoids changes – the nasolabial folds are smoothed out, the bite is disturbed and bluish circles appear under the eyes. The child wheezes and coughs at night ¹² .

Foreign bodies

In very young children, the cause of nasal congestion without a runny nose can be simple – the child put something in his nose. A foreign body interfering with nasal breathing can be a very small toy or food ⁹ . A typical signal that there is a foreign body in the nose is that the child breathes through only one nostril ² .

Is nasal congestion dangerous without a runny nose?

Nasal breathing plays an important role in human life. Through the nasal cavity, the air not only mechanically passes, it is warmed and moistened. Nasal breathing serves as a kind of filter – small cilia on the mucous membrane trap viruses, bacteria, allergens and other foreign substances. During normal nasal breathing, air enters the lower nasal passages in such a way that it does not irritate the lungs ^3.10 . But all these processes do not work if you breathe through your mouth ³ .

Moreover, if nasal congestion without a runny nose persists for a long time, the nasal mucosa, which is not involved in any processes, gradually becomes thinner ¹¹ . The first signs of this process are a feeling of dryness in the nose, itching and a decrease in the sense of smell ¹¹ .

How to treat nasal congestion

Most often, nasal congestion is treated with drugs. However, there are some conditions in which surgery is indispensable, for example, if you need to remove the adenoids ² or perform nasal septum repair ⁸ . Treatment of nasal congestion without a runny nose can only be prescribed by the attending physician individually after a thorough diagnosis ^2.8 .

Since one of the goals of treatment is to restore nasal breathing as soon as possible, doctors may prescribe decongestants ¹⁴ , also known as vasoconstrictor drops ^1,3,5 . Nasal decongestants affect the vessels of the nasal mucosa – narrow them and, thereby, eliminate swelling and nasal congestion ³ .

To relieve nasal congestion, Tizin ^® can be used as a spray ^17-19 :

• Tizin ^® Classic. The active substance of the spray – xylometazoline – facilitates nasal breathing. Ready for action 5 minutes after application of ¹⁷ . The vasoconstrictive effect may persist for up to 10 hours ¹⁷ .
• Tizine ^® Panthenol. Contains 2 active ingredients – xylometazoline and dexpanthenol. Due to this composition, the drug simultaneously reduces swelling of the nose, and also accelerates the healing of its mucous membrane. The spray contains no preservatives and the bottle also features a 9 silver ion coil0017 18 .
• Tizin ^® Alergi. Helps fight allergy symptoms. Ready for action in 5 minutes, and the effect of its use can last up to 12 hours ¹⁹ .

It often happens that when a person begins to breathe badly through the nose, he does not go to the doctor, but begins to instill vasoconstrictor drops into his nose, and he does this all the time ¹ . But, any drug, including decongestants, should be used only after consultation with a specialist ^3.5 . Self-administration of drugs without selection by a doctor may not have the desired effect or worsen the condition ¹⁶ . To avoid this, follow your doctor’s recommendations and use vasoconstrictor drops in short courses – no more than 5-10 days ^1,3,8 .

The information in this article is for reference only and does not replace professional medical advice. For diagnosis and treatment, contact a qualified specialist.

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See also:

• Acute sinusitis: types, symptoms, treatment better?

Runny nose in summer: cold or allergy

07/05/2016 at 20:55

Society

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It is believed that in summer a person should catch cold less often. Still, nasal congestion, fever, and general malaise can occur in any weather. But if in winter such symptoms most often indicate a cold, then in summer they can also talk about allergies.

Photo: Gennady Cherkasov

Allergic rhinitis and colds are two different things. Although the symptoms may seem completely indistinguishable. But the approaches to treatment differ greatly. In the first case, antihistamines are required, in the second, antiviral drugs.

Distinguishing a cold from an allergic one can sometimes be extremely difficult. And yet there are some symptoms by which one can suspect that the virus has nothing to do with it. “If you have similar symptoms from year to year with the advent of spring, there is reason to think about pollen allergy – hay fever,” says allergist Irina Zalem. – Especially if your symptoms increase outdoors and decrease indoors. Pollinosis can manifest itself not only in spring, but also in summer and autumn, depending on the plant that is significant to you.

However, sometimes these tips don’t work with allergic rhinitis – it doesn’t stop indoors. On top of that, an allergic rhinitis can be accompanied by an increase in body temperature, which can mislead anyone. In order to quickly and effectively solve the problem and prevent the development of complications, it is necessary to reliably find out the causes. And for this, special analyzes will help.

Allergy tests are laboratory tests that involve the study of blood serum. In addition, there are tests that involve direct contact with the allergen – prick tests (from the English – “puncture”) and the so-called scarification tests. The principle of their implementation is similar: a drop of allergen concentrate is applied to the patient’s skin, and then either the skin is pierced with a special needle, or a microscopic incision is made. Allergens, however, are not always used. Sometimes drops of special substances are used to control the reaction. Subsequently, the doctor evaluates the size of redness and swelling at the site of application of the allergen drop.

Still, allergen tests are now considered dangerous by some experts. After all, even in microscopic doses, the substance can cause a severe allergic reaction. Laboratory studies are considered more comfortable for the patient, since the dose of the allergen is not introduced into the body, therefore, it is not subjected to additional stress – the result is obtained by a simple blood test from a vein.

When an allergen enters the body, it binds to a special type of antibody – immunoglobulin E. A complete blood count will reveal a change in a number of indicators and values, indicating that it is allergic inflammation that is occurring. Moreover, a laboratory study allows you to determine what exactly an allergy has arisen.

However, there are more complex cases of allergy not associated with immunoglobulins E. Nevertheless, laboratory diagnostics will help distinguish allergic rhinitis or conjunctivitis from infectious – if a large number of eosinophils is seen during examination of a swab taken from the nasal mucosa or from the conjunctiva (this is such subspecies of leukocytes), it is possible to confirm allergic inflammation with certainty.

Even very young children can experience allergic rhinitis, but you should ask your doctor for a recommendation to find out at what age you can do a blood test. Experts warn that self-diagnosis and self-treatment in any case is not worth it. “It happens that patients, assuming the possibility of an allergy in themselves or their child, begin preventive, as it seems to them, taking antihistamines,” explains Olga Malinovskaya, doctor of clinical laboratory diagnostics. “But I strongly recommend leaving health care decisions to professionals. Uncontrolled therapy can lead to complications, or you can mistake for an allergy some more serious disease that has similar symptoms, and allow its further development.