Nasal Congestion

Overview
Mucus is excess in collected in cavities or one of the airways of the body. This is mostly referred as blockage in nasal cavities but it can also occur in chest, ears and throat. Catarrh is a symptom of an underlying condition, like infection, allergic reaction or cold.
Acute and chronic catarrh
Catarrhs are mostly acute. Once the body fights it passes in some days. This is cured by medication for decongestion. Chronic catarrhs are caused due allergic reaction or abnormal nasal cavity. Depending on the underlying infection the treatment will be decided.
Symptoms

Some of the catarrh symptoms are ;

1] Tiredness
2] Loss of tasted and smell
3] Facial pain
4] Headache
5] Persistent cough with mucus.
6] Discharge of mucus from nose and throat
7] Stuffy and blocked nose

Causes

The immune system reacts to irritation or infection in the cavities of the body causing catarrh. White blood cells are sent by the immune system to fight irritation or infection. The lining of the cavities get swelled and produces mucus because of WBC’s. This also narrows the cavities. This narrowing of cavities and excess mucus production causes catarrh, giving rise to facial pain and blocked nose. Triggers of catarrh are; Allergic reaction and infection like Cold. People with abnormal sensitive blood vessels and cigarette smoke make the blood vessel expand which leads to excess of mucus, congestion also catarrh symptoms. This is called as vasomotor rhinitis. Vasomotor rhinitis triggers are; stress, spicy food, alcohol, change in weather, chemical irritants like smoke perfumes etc. Catarrh is also caused by abnormalities in nasal passage. Like; growth of tissue which blocks mucus from getting out.


Diagnosis
Diagnosis is not required for acute catarrh, since the infection will pass without treatment.
Chronic catarrh

Causes of Chronic catarrh can be diagnosed by numerous methods. Physical examinations are carried to check if nasal polyps are present, also CT scan is done to check polyps that cannot be visible to naked eyes. The second method is check if is an allergic reaction. You will be asked if symptoms are bad at certain time of year or day or in a particular environment. This helps in pointing the allergen. Another type of allergen test is the skin prick test, wherein the skin is pricked with a pin by a allergen, if the skin reacts positively this area turns red and swells.
Non-allergic rhinitis
The Symptoms of Non allergic rhinitis are similar to allergic rhinitis , hence it can get difficult to diagnose it. Tests are similar to allergy test and there are not particular test for this condition. If the test results in allergic reactions diagnosis can be done.
Treatment
You can get relieve from Acute Catarrh symptoms by taking decongestion medicines. These medicines can be taken in two ways by mouth (oral) or by spraying into the nose (topical). Oral medication takes time to work but the effects stays longer than topical. This should be taken 5-7 times in a day as they give temporary relief. They do not cause any side effect and even if they are caused they tend to be mild. Few side effects of nasal sprays are: Nausea, headaches and irritation to the lining of the nose.
Some decongesting medicines contain pseudoephedrine that causes trouble in sleeping, restlessness and increases your heart rate. Inhaling steam is very effective as it helps to loosen and soften the mucus. To make it more effective you can add eucalyptus oil or menthol crystals to the water. This is not recommended to children.
Chronic Catarrh
Depending on the underlying causes, treatment is determined for chronic catarrh.
Antihistamine nasal spray is used to treat Allergic rhinitis. This blocks the immune systems response to allergen. In case you have non allergic rhinitis you are recommended to avoid environmental triggers like cigarette smoke. Nasal spray containing corticosteroids help in relieving symptoms. This help to reduce congestion and inflammation. Nasal sprays containing steroids can also be used to shrink small nasal polyps, while large nasal polyps can be removed only by surgery.