Qingbitang Popular Science: Different types of rhinitis have different symptoms

Rhinitis is an inflammation of the nasal mucosa caused by viruses, bacteria, allergens, various physical and chemical factors, and certain systemic diseases. Its main symptoms are nasal congestion, itchy nose, runny nose, sneezing, etc. There are many types of rhinitis, the most common of which is allergic rhinitis.

Qingbitang: What are the symptoms of rhinitis?

1. Nasal congestion

Nasal congestion is characterized by intermittent nature, which is relieved during the day, in hot weather, while working or exercising, and worsened at night, when sitting still or in cold weather.

Another characteristic of nasal congestion is its alternation. For example, when lying on your side, the lower nasal cavity is blocked, while the upper nasal cavity is well ventilated.

Due to nasal congestion, there may be occasional symptoms such as decreased sense of smell, headache, dizziness, and nasal speech.

2. Decreased sense of smell

It is mostly caused by two reasons. One is the swelling of the nasal mucosa and nasal congestion, which prevents airflow from entering the olfactory area.

The second is that the olfactory mucosa is stimulated by chronic inflammation for a long time, causing the olfactory function to decrease or disappear.

3. Increased nasal discharge

It is often mucous or mucopurulent, occasionally purulent, and purulent more often occurs after seasonal infection.

4. Headache and dizziness

Acute, chronic sinusitis, and allergic sinusitis are often manifested by a feeling of heaviness in the head.

5. Systemic manifestations

Most people experience headaches, loss of appetite, fatigue, memory loss and insomnia.

There are many symptoms of rhinitis, and the symptoms vary depending on the type of rhinitis. So how do you self-diagnose which type of rhinitis you have?

Chronic rhinitis

Long-term intermittent or alternating nasal congestion causes dizziness and headache, seriously affecting sleep, work and study.

Mucopurulent nasal discharge often flows back into the pharynx, causing cough and excessive sputum.

Acute rhinitis

In the initial 1-2 days, patients often experience general discomfort, chills, fever, loss of appetite, headache, dryness and burning sensation in the nasal cavity and nasopharynx, itching in the nose, and frequent sneezing.

The acute phase lasts 2 to 5 days. The original symptoms worsen, with the body temperature of adults reaching around 38 degrees and children reaching over 39 degrees. Vomiting, diarrhea, coma and even convulsions often occur due to high fever.

Atrophic rhinitis

There is foul-smelling breath, nasal secretions in the form of lumps and tubular pus crusts that are not easy to wipe out. When the dry crusts are picked out forcefully, there is a small amount of nose bleeding, which is often mistaken for rhinitis in the early stages of a cold.

Rhinitis Medicamentosa

Long-term use of various rhinitis drugs, lasers, or surgeries that damage the nasal mucosa can lead to persistent nasal congestion and frequent nosebleeds.

When the weather turns cold, some patients sneeze and have a runny nose continuously after getting up in the morning. When the temperature difference is large, their nose is blocked. They mistakenly think they have a cold and take some cold medicine casually, which makes their condition worse.

Qingbitang Nose Health Center reminds you: Although rhinitis is a minor disease, if it is not treated in time or does not heal for a long time, it will eventually worsen and cause other complications that will harm your health. If you have rhinitis, you must detect it early and take care of it early.