Every senior patient with rhinitis has had such an experience: sneezing, non-stop snot, itchy eyes, having to carry paper when going out...
Allergic rhinitis, an allergic disease that occurs in the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity, is increasing year by year and has become a global health problem.
Rhinitis is the most abrasive part: it prevents humans from successfully completing the most basic vital sign activity - panting.
In 2018, Professor Zhang Luo, The Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery of Beijing Tongren Hospital, led the "Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Allergic Rhinitis in China", which shows that there are more than 1 billion patients with allergic rhinitis worldwide.
Life Times (search for "LT0385" within WeChat to follow) interviews experts to teach you to relieve the discomfort caused by allergic rhinitis from multiple angles.
Experts interviewed
Wen Zhong, chief physician of the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University
Allergic rhinitis can affect cognition
A study published in Pediatric Allergy Immunology in July 2020 showed that allergic rhinitis affects cognition, that is, makes people stupid.
The study controlled 43 children aged 8 to 17 years with grass pollen allergic rhinitis and 26 matched non-allergic children. Experiments have found that during the pollen season, children who are allergic to pollen produce more errors than non-allergic children.
Not only is cognitive function affected, but the more allergy symptoms, the more affected the cognitive response and the longer the reaction time required for simple exercise.
Allergic rhinitis is divided into two categories: perennial and seasonal:
Seasonal rhinitis is mostly caused by flowers, trees, etc., also known as outdoor allergic rhinitis;
Perennial rhinitis is mostly caused by dust, mites, mold, tobacco, animal fur, chemicals, etc., also known as indoor allergic rhinitis.
A study of the quality of life of 155 patients with allergic rhinitis in mainland China showed that the health status of rhinitis patients in terms of physical health, mental health, and physical role has decreased significantly in various dimensions.
In addition to cognitive impact, rhinitis may cause a variety of psychological problems in patients, and there will be general anxiety tendencies. In addition, patients are seriously affected in sleep, work life, social activity, and physical activity.
In addition to being silly, rhinitis can also make you ugly
Rhinitis can not only endanger health and affect cognitive ability, but also may cause facial development deformities and lower the appearance value.
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Step 1: Nasal congestion
Patients with rhinitis often have symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, itchy nose, and sneezing.
Step 2: Breathe through your mouth
People with rhinitis, in order to alleviate the feeling of suffocation caused by the lack of ventilation of the nose, will involuntarily breathe with their mouths. For a long time, it will change from "nasal breathing" to "oral breathing".
Step 3: Maxillofacial deformity
When breathing through the nose, the mouth is closed, at which point the tip of the tongue naturally rests on the mucosal fold of the palate.
When breathing with the mouth open, the nasal cavity is not ventilated, the mouth is slightly open or half open, and the tongue moves downward and forward to allow the gas to enter. This can easily lead to 3 results:
The palate is highly arched, the teeth are not aligned, and even tooth decay appears;
Tension in the neck muscles, which in turn affects the facial muscles and expressions;
The jaw is overextended, and in severe cases, it will appear to be covered.
On the left is a photo of a 6-year-old girl, and on the right is a photo of a 9-year-old girl
Three photos of boys taken between the ages of 10 and 17
This relieves nasal discomfort
lifestyle
It is difficult to avoid exposure to allergens completely in life, but it is possible to minimize exposure to various irritants and maintain good living habits.
1
Avoid allergens
Common allergens include inhalation allergens and food allergens, the former including pollen, mites, animal furs, etc., and the latter are common in eggs, milk, peanuts, shrimp and crabs.
Carefully observe and record daily diet and items of contact, etc., find possible allergens, and avoid them as much as possible.
2
There are tricks to open windows for ventilation
The pollen-infested season reduces window opening time and uses air purifiers and air conditioners with filtering functions. Pay attention to control the humidity of the room, and the indoor humidity level that is beneficial to the human body should be between 20% and 50%.
3
Wash the nasal passages
It is recommended that patients with allergic rhinitis rinse the nostrils with nasal irrigation. It is recommended to rinse the nasal cavity once a day in the morning and evening, which can effectively reduce the amount of allergens in the nasal cavity.
If there is a lot of nasal discharge, it is best to rinse with more than 200 ml of liquid per nostril. If only the nasal cavity is dry, you can rinse the liquid with a spray to keep the nasal cavity moist.
There are special nasal washers in major hospitals or regular pharmacies, which can be used according to the instructions. It is not recommended to rinse with saline to avoid irritating the nasal mucosa with poor concentration, nor is it recommended to rinse with tap water to prevent infection with parasites.
4
Clean frequently
Regularly wash sheets and quilt covers with hot water, be exposed to sunlight, and clean air conditioning filters regularly.
Clinical treatment
For allergies, "hiding" is just one of the ways. Although allergic rhinitis is currently incurable, it can be controlled with standardized treatment. There are three main clinical treatment methods:
drug therapy
It is mainly the use of oral or topical drugs to control the symptoms of allergic rhinitis. Generally, nasal glucocorticoids, antihistamine therapy, and antileukotriene therapy are the mainstays. After discontinuation of the drug, discomfort may recur.
Immunotherapy
The full name of immunotherapy is allergen-specific immunotherapy, that is, desensitization therapy. This method can not only reduce symptoms, reduce medication, prevent asthma, regulate immunity, but also help improve other allergic diseases (such as urticaria, asthma).
Surgery
If each symptom of allergic rhinitis is likened to a lamp, the nerve is the wire responsible for these lights, and the surgical treatment is to cut off the nerve responsible for allergic rhinitis.
Some people are worried: "After the operation, my nasal cavity is missing some nerves, will it be unsafe?" ”
In general, this surgery only targets the nerves that cause allergic rhinitis, and does not damage other functional nerves while improving symptoms such as nasal congestion and sneezing. ▲
Editor of this issue: Liu Yunxuan
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