Irritability and constant flu-like symptoms can take a toll on everything from your immunity to safety (imagine you’re driving and sneezing at the same time). Plus, you’ve forgotten that your nose is a sensory organ. Doctors tell us why a runny nose can be caused by anything from dust to a polyp. Yikes!
“A runny nose can be caused by anything that irritates or inflames the nasal tissues. Infections such as common cold and influenza, allergies and various irritants may all cause it. Some people have chronically runny noses for no apparent reason, a condition called non-allergic rhinitis or vasomotor rhinitis,” says Dr Chetana Tikoo, an ENT surgeon in Mumbai. Less commonly, it can be caused by a polyp, a foreign body lodged in the passage, a tumour or a migraine-like headache. Here are the more common reasons.
Allergies
Allergies occur when your immune system reacts to a foreign substance such as pollen, dust, bee venom, pet dander or a food (peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, eggs, milk) that doesn’t cause a reaction in most people, says Dr K K Handa, Chairman, Department of ENT and Head-Neck Surgery, Medanta, The Medicity, Gurgaon. Certain medications can also cause an allergic reaction. Your immune system produces substances known as antibodies. When you have allergies, your immune system makes antibodies that identify a particular allergen as harmful, even though it isn’t. When you come into contact with the allergens, your immune system’s reaction can inflame your skin, sinuses, airways or the digestive system. The severity of allergies varies from one person to another and can range from minor irritation to anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening emergency condition. While most allergies can’t be cured, treatments can help relieve your allergy symptoms.
Allergic rhinitis can cause sneezing; an itchy nose, eyes, or roof of mouth; runny or stuffy nose; watery, red, swollen eyes. This increases your risk of certain other medical problems, including anaphylaxis, asthma, sinusitis and infection of the ears or lungs. The tough part is to identify the triggers and then stay away from them.
Chronic sinusitis
This refers to the inflammation around the nose, cheek and forehead regions, as a result of an infection, says Dr K Deepak Raj, ENT Surgeon, Saveetha Medical College and Hospital, Chennai. Sinusitis may be accompanied by sinus drainage, also called post-nasal drip. In addition to a runny nose, other symptoms include facial pain, sinus pressure (resulting in a dull ache) and nasal congestion.
If you’re constantly going to the doctor with a sinus infection, you might have a chronic condition. Undiagnosed allergies that haven’t been properly treated, lead to a back up of mucus in the passages and you get re-infection.
If you think you have chronic sinusitis, getting an allergy test and treatment will probably keep the infection from returning.
Non-allergic rhinitis
This involves chronic sneezing or a congested, drippy nose with no apparent cause. Non-allergic rhinitis can affect children and adults, but is more common after 20 years of age. Triggers include certain odours or irritants in the air, change in the weather or temperature that can trigger the membrane inside your nose to swell and cause a runny, stuffy nose. A common cause of non-allergic rhinitis is a viral infection, a cold or flu. Eating hot or spicy foods, drinking alcohol, may also cause the membranes inside your nose to swell, leading to a nasal congestion. Hormonal changes due to pregnancy, menstruation, oral contraceptive use or other hormonal conditions, such as hypothyroidism, cause non-allergic rhinitis.
“A diagnosis is made after an allergic cause is ruled out. This may require a skin or blood test. See your doctor if your symptoms are severe or you have signs and symptoms that aren’t relieved by over-the-counter medications or self care,” says Dr Tikoo.
Medications overuse
Decongestants are helpful in drying out your nose when you have a cold, but your runny nose might actually get worse if you start to rely on them too much. “If they are used for more than a few days, when you stop, the nose is used to it, and this has a rebound effect,” says Dr Handa.
Acid reflux
This is usually caused due to acute sinusitis. When a person has a reflux, laryngitis acid comes up from the stomach and travels through the throat and to the back of the nose. The person might start to sniffle without feeling the indigestion usually associated with acid reflux. You should not ignore heart burn, a typical sign of acid reflux.
Nasal polyps
Over a period of time, congestion from allergies, recurring infection, drug sensitivity or certain immune disorders might cause swelling in the nose, which eventually could turn into a moist piece of tissue called a polyp, says Dr Tikoo. A small nasal polyp may not cause symptoms, but a larger growth or group of nasal polyps can block your nasal passages or lead to breathing problems, a lost sense of smell and frequent infection. Nasal polyps can affect anyone, but they’re more common in adults. Medications can often shrink or eliminate nasal polyps, but surgery is sometimes needed to remove them. Common symptoms of chronic sinusitis with nasal polyps include a runny nose, persistent stuffiness, post-nasal drip, decreased or absent sense of smell, loss of sense of taste, facial pain, headache, pain in your upper teeth, a sense of pressure over your forehead or snoring.
Deviated septum
A deviated septum occurs when the thin wall (nasal septum) between your nasal passages is displaced to one side, making one nasal passage smaller. When a deviated septum is severe, it can block one side of your nose and reduce air flow, causing difficulty in breathing, says Dr Raj. The additional exposure of a deviated septum to the drying effect of air flow through the nose may sometimes cause bleeding. Treatment may include medication to reduce the swelling or nasal dilators that help open the passages. To correct a deviated septum, surgery is required. See your doctor if you experience a blocked nostril that doesn’t respond to treatment, frequent nose bleed, sinus infections.
