Rhinitis
Know and treat chronic rhinitis properly
Rhinitis refers to an inflammatory disease of the nasal mucosa that is accompanied by one or more symptoms of a runny nose, sneezing, itching and stuffy nose. It is a disease with a high prevalence of more than 10-20% worldwide, and the number of rhinitis patients is increasing due to recent changes in residential environment, westernization of eating habits, and air pollution such as fine dust.
Rhinitis can be broadly divided into acute rhinitis, chronic rhinitis, and atrophic rhinitis according to clinical features. Acute rhinitis is an infectious rhinitis commonly referred to as a nasal cold, and chronic rhinitis is largely divided into infectious and non-infectious depending on the cause. The causes of non-infectious chronic rhinitis include allergic rhinitis, anatomical abnormalities of the nasal structure, imbalance of the autonomic nervous system, hormonal abnormalities, drugs, and emotional anxiety. As such, it is true that rhinitis is not a single disease, but rather as a group of diseases of a wide spectrum, and if accurate diagnosis and treatment are not made, serious side effects may occur due to incorrect drug administration.
Regardless of the cause, most chronic rhinitis patients show similar clinical manifestations, only differences in severity of symptoms. Nasal congestion is the main symptom. The left and right sides are alternately blocked, and the severity of symptoms varies. In severe cases, both noses are blocked, making it difficult to breathe through the nose, so you breathe through your mouth. A runny nose is also a common symptom, and it is mostly a clear runny nose (watery nasal discharge). However, when infected with bacteria, it may turn into a yellow-green runny nose (purulent nasal discharge). There are many cases where the secretion from the nasal cavity flows down the back of the throat, which is called a postnasal nasal passage. Chronic rhinitis may cause paroxysmal sneezing as the nasal mucosal nerves are exposed due to inflammation, and may cause loss or loss of sense of smell.
Since it is practically difficult to check the inflammatory reaction in the nose during actual treatment, the diagnosis is usually made based on symptoms such as itching, sneezing, nasal discharge, and nasal congestion and the results of a nose examination. When examining the nasal cavity of a patient with chronic rhinitis, watery or purulent discharge may be observed along with swelling of the nasal mucosa (swelling due to inflammation or tumor). If the swelling of the nasal mucosa is prolonged, it may not contract even with topical mucoconstrictors. Since rhinitis can be accompanied by various allergic diseases such as atopy, an allergic reaction test, a nasal juice smear, and a fungal culture test can be performed together.
The treatment method differs depending on the cause, but if you have sinusitis (sinusitis), tonsillitis, etc. besides rhinitis, you must first treat them.
In the case of allergic rhinitis, avoidance therapy to avoid the causative antigen, drug therapy using antihistamines, topical steroids, antileukotrin, and anticholinergic sprays, and immunotherapy are used to treat allergic rhinitis. In the case of chronic hypertrophic rhinitis, topical spray-type steroids can be used as a medical treatment, and surgical treatment includes various methods such as turbinate (nose shelf) plastic surgery, turbinate resection, laser surgery, and surgery using high frequency. Excessive surgical resection of the turbinate may cause worsening of symptoms, so it is important to receive appropriate surgical treatment according to an accurate diagnosis by an otolaryngologist. For vasomotor rhinitis, topical steroids or anticholinergic sprays are mainly used, and for drug rhinitis, the treatment begins with prohibiting the use of the drug.
Chronic rhinitis depends on its cause. If the cause is obvious, treatment can improve it, but if it is not, it usually lasts a long time. If adequate treatment is not performed for chronic rhinitis patients, chronic inflammation may persist, resulting in irreversible thickening (swelling of the nasal mucosa) in the mucous membranes and turbinates in the nasal cavity. Sometimes a large inferior turbinate is observed, a condition called chronic hypertrophic rhinitis. Chronic hypertrophic rhinitis can occur when the inflammatory state of chronic rhinitis continues for a long time, regardless of the cause. In addition, chronic rhinitis can cause complications such as fistula, conjunctivitis, otitis, otitis media, and sore throat.
Washing your nose with saline solution in the morning and evening can also help with prevention. Long-term use of topical mucoconstrictors should be avoided when rhinitis is present. Preventing rhinitis is difficult, but some preventive effort must be combined with treatment.
In oriental medicine, the method of dissolving abnormal substances stuck in the mucous membrane in the nose is the most effective. There are many cases of complaining of discomfort such as sneezing and clear runny nose. In this case, suction, which sucks foreign substances when the nose is blocked, does not have much effect. Are doing
And it may improve quickly when acupuncture is combined.