Vasomotor rhinitis

The doctor told me your son has vasomotor rhinitis. Do not be alarmed, this disease is often found in tall and thin children. The reason is the malfunction of the vessels. Swelling of the nose does not bother the baby, so leave him alone, nothing needs to be treated.

Another shock for my exhausted head. Before meeting with this doctor, we had been treating swelling of the nose for a long time. They often ran for consultations to ENTs, constantly dripped something, smeared it, sprayed it.

I am a restless mom, running around clinics and taking a bunch of tests, this fits into my picture of the world. I don’t know how at all – “leave alone”, “wait” and “do not treat anything”.

How can you ignore a child’s stuffy nose in the morning. Yes, and an allergist scares asthma. The doctor wanted to help. He prescribed a course of laser therapy and recommended going to an osteopath. This is how we are saved to this day.

You need to know the enemy by sight and I learned a lot about the disease. I learned that because of a chronically stuffy nose, rhinitis is called a false cold. I learned that the cause of everything is the improper functioning of the vessels and the sensitive nasal mucosa. I learned how to distinguish allergic rhinitis from vasomotor rhinitis.

Types of vasomotor rhinitis

Neurovegetative rhinitis

Neurovegetative rhinitis often affects tall and thin people, with low blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, thyroid problems and prone to hormonal disruptions.

Symptoms – stuffy nose in the morning, swelling appears after physical exertion, strong odors, changes in air temperature or climate change.

Vasomotor allergic rhinitis

Allergic rhinitis appears as a reaction of the immune system to allergens – dust, animal hair, tree pollen.

A blood test will show a high level of eosinophils and total immunoglobulin E.

Allergic rhinitis is seasonal and year-round. Well-marked symptoms of seasonal rhinitis appear in spring, winter or autumn. Perennial rhinitis is dangerous because if left untreated, it can develop into a chronic form of vasomotor rhinitis.

Chronic vasomotor rhinitis

If you do not treat or undertreat allergic rhinitis, you will encounter a chronic form of vasomotor rhinitis, which, by the way, also happens from the abuse of vasoconstrictor drugs.

The danger is that vasomotor rhinitis begins as a common cold. A runny nose is not a good enough reason to go to the doctor, you can treat yourself – so what did we have left in the medicine cabinet from last time?

And in the first-aid kit, there is often a Nazivin or something like that.

Let’s make it a rule, if a runny nose does not go away after 14 days, you need to contact a doctor.

Causes of vasomotor rhinitis

  1. Infectious lesions;
  2. Deviated septum;
  3. adenoiditis;
  4. Caries;
  5. thyroid disease;
  6. Chronic diseases of the nose (tansilitis, sinusitis);
  7. Irritating environmental factors. Dust, smoke, or strong odors (such as perfumes) can cause vasomotor rhinitis;
  8. Weather conditions (high humidity, dryness or exposure to cold can cause full or partial nasal congestion);
  9. Violation of the hormonal background (pregnancy, the use of oral contraceptives, hormone therapy, etc.);
  10. Taking medications (it happens that rhinitis is mistaken for a side effect of medications). Vasomotor rhinitis can develop under the influence of certain drugs: anti-inflammatory drugs (aspirin, ibuprofen), beta-blockers (to treat high blood pressure), sedatives, antidepressants, and male enhancement drugs;
  11. Abuse of vasoconstrictor drops;
  12. Nutritional factors: hot food, spices, spicy food, alcoholic beverages;
  13. Stress;
  14. Gastroesophageal reflux disease;
  15. Asthma;
  16. sinusitis;
  17. Nose injury;
  18. polyps;
  19. allergic rhinitis.

Symptoms of vasomotor rhinitis

symptoms of vasomotor rhinitis

  • Alternate congestion of one of the nostrils – it is this symptom that is very indicative (see explanations below in the text);
    swelling of the nose;
  • The nose is stuffed up on the side on which the patient lies;
  • Colorless, mucous and copious discharge from the nose;
  • nasality;
  • Single coughs during the day;
  • Difficulty breathing through the nose
  • Lump in throat;
  • Vasoconstrictor drops do not help;
  • Complete or partial loss of smell;
  • Itching in the nose;
  • Sleep disturbance;
  • Dryness in the nose;
  • Headache;
  • Increased fatigue;
  • Weakness;
  • Frequent and prolonged sneezing;
  • Shortness of breath and heavy breathing through the mouth, because it is difficult to breathe through the nose;
  • No appetite;
  • Memory deterioration.

If allergic rhinitis, add to the list of symptoms:

  • Itching and burning;
  • Redness of the nose, eyelids, and profuse tears from the eyes;
  • Sometimes elevated body temperature.

Not sure if you have allergic rhinitis or not?

What is the difference between vasomotor rhinitis and allergic rhinitis

Lore taught me a simple test. Lay the child on the right side for 10 minutes. Then alternately close the right and left nostrils and ask the child to breathe.

If only the right nostril is blocked, then you are dealing with vasomotor rhinitis. If both nostrils remain blocked, the diagnosis is likely to be allergic rhinitis. To be sure, repeat the test on the left side.

Diagnostics

Diagnostics

Make an appointment with an otolaryngologist if you suspect symptoms of vasomotor rhinitis in yourself or your child.

The doctor should see:

  • Edema (enlargement of the side walls of the nose);
  • Insufficient contraction of the walls of the nose during breathing;
  • A peculiar color of the nasal mucosa.

Analyzes that are usually prescribed.

Blood analysis

It will show the level of eosinophils, by which the allergic origin of vasomotor rhinitis is determined.
In addition, the results will help to understand what changes have occurred in the body during the illness. It happens that the content of red blood cells and hemoglobin in the blood decreases. When nasal breathing is restored, the indicators return to normal.

Rhinocytogram (nose swab)

The results help to understand the nature of the disease, for example, to confirm or rule out allergic rhinitis. If the smear shows a large number of eosinophils, then vasomotor rhinitis will be allergic.

Mucosal smear or blood for herpes infection antibodies

Herpes causes long and sluggish rhinitis. An elevated level of acute-phase IgM antibodies will confirm an active disease process. The current state of the disease cannot be determined by the level of IgG memory antibodies, IgG show that the body has met the virus in the past.

X-ray and computed tomography (CT)

They will help diagnose sinusitis, sinusitis, or other inflammatory processes in the nasal mucosa.

Skin tests, blood tests for total immunoglobulin (Img E) and specific immunoglobulin E to allergens

It is prescribed to confirm the allergic nature of vasomotor rhinitis, and to find out the specific allergen to which the body reacts.

Treatment of vasomotor rhinitis

treatment of vasomotor rhinitis

After a thorough diagnosis, it is time for the long-awaited treatment. There are many forms and causes of vasomotor rhinitis, and the treatment for each individual case will be different.

Treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis

  • No surgical intervention required;
  • Prescribe antihistamines, vasoconstrictors, and hormonal drugs to relieve symptoms;
  • It is necessary to reduce the number of patient contacts with the allergen. To do this, of course, you need to find out which allergen the body reacts to.

Help with cold reactions
Hardening treatments: foot baths, contrast showers, hand baths.

With a medical form of vasomotor rhinitis
Replace vasoconstrictor drops with nasal hormonal sprays (Nazaneks, Avamys).

How to treat chronic vasomotor rhinitis
The effect of the operation will be short-lived, so the treatment of chronic rhinitis is reduced to attempts to reduce the swelling of the nose.

  • blockades;
  • Lazoroterapiya;
  • Osteopathy;
  • Breathing exercises;
  • Acupuncture;
  • hardening;

Drug Therapy:

  • washing the nose with saline solutions and moisturizing the mucous membrane (if the congestion is severe, before washing, be sure to drip vasoconstrictors into the nose for 15 minutes before washing);
  • hormonal sprays (long courses, at least a month);
  • antihistamines in the form of drops or topical sprays;
  • if vasomotor rhinitis with profuse nasal discharge, the doctor may prescribe topical inhibitors containing ipratropium bromide.

It is important to remember that vasoconstrictor drugs should not be taken for more than five to seven days in a row. If you take such medicines for a long time, the nasal mucosa will become thinner, and rhinitis can develop into atrophic.

Straightening of the nasal septum
If the cause of rhinitis is an irregular shape of the nasal septum, medicine can only offer surgery. It is difficult to say whether such an operation will be of any use, and how long the effect will last.

Treatment of Adenoiditis
Allergy sufferers are advised to remove adenoids last, when hearing is reduced. We must learn to control the adenoids and put them in order.

First of all, you need to find out the reason for the increase in adenoids, usually there are two of them: frequent SARS or constant contact with an allergen.

Hormonal sprays, laser physiotherapy, osteopathy, acupuncture, and even homeopathy are prescribed for the treatment of adenoids (allergy sufferers should be especially careful with homeopathic preparations).

And only in the case when nothing helps, you can decide on the partial removal of lymphatic tissue.

Vasomotor rhinitis: Methods of treatment

Vasomotor rhinitis

There are many treatments for vasomotor rhinitis. I will list the most common.

Breathing exercises

Gymnastics will help with the very first signs of illness, it restores and facilitates nasal breathing.

Rules for performing breathing exercises:

  • Sit on a chair;
  • Straighten your back;
  • Place your index finger on the bridge of your nose, thumb and middle finger on both sides of the wings of the nose;
  • Exhale through your nose and close your left nostril with your finger. Take a deep breath through the free nostril and pinch it;
  • Hold your breath for 10-15 seconds;
  • Repeat with the other nostril.
  • Repeat at least 10 times a day.

Important! Exhale slowly – the exhalation should be 2 times longer than the inhalation.

Nose massage

Improves blood circulation, facilitates nasal breathing.

For 2-3 minutes, massage the bridge of the nose and wings of the nose in a circular motion in a clockwise direction, increasing pressure on the points. Then circular movements counterclockwise, gradually weakening the pressure.

Interestingly, with vasomotor rhinitis, it is also recommended to massage the neck and nape several times a day.

Osteopathy

For my son, osteopathy has proven to be a great replacement for hormonal sprays. In a child, swelling of the nose was caused by a pinching of the hip bone and a drooping maxillary sinus.

The osteopath removed the clamp in a few sessions and the baby’s nasal breathing improved noticeably. We repeat sessions every 6 months.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture or acupuncture can work wonders: relaxes, improves blood flow, stimulates blood vessels, relieves pain and tension.

With a bad back and rhinitis, I go to acupuncture sessions several times a year. I can’t force my son – he is afraid of needles.

I agree, the needles look scary, but the procedure is painless. Amusingly, to relieve lower back pain, needles are inserted between the index and thumb and into the earlobes.

Blockades

For the treatment of rhinitis, nasal blocks are often performed using steroid hormones (hydrocortisone). Steroid hormones relieve swelling of the mucosa and restore nasal breathing.

Laser PHYSIOtherapy

Usually, the ENT prescribes physiotherapy as an auxiliary treatment. The nasal mucosa is heated with a laser. Physiotherapy improves blood circulation in the nose, significantly reduces swelling, relieves inflammation of the mucosa.

The therapy is carried out using a special apparatus. For several minutes they shine with a laser beam in one nostril then in the other.
The full course of therapy is from 7 to 10 days. The ENT advised to carry out the procedure once a day until 12 noon.

Laser physiotherapy is a painless procedure. My son only feels warmth in his nose.

Laser therapy is also excellent for adenoiditis.

Operations

When other methods fail, only surgery remains. In the surgeon’s office, you can hear a lot of incomprehensible terms, but they all mean one thing – reducing the thickness of the nasal mucosa with the help of surgical intervention.

Laser vasotomy of the inferior turbinates – The tissue under the mucosa is heated with a laser beam, as a result of which the swelling of the nose decreases.

Coblation, or cold plasma reduction – Destroy the soft tissues of the mucosa with cold.

Ultrasonic vasotomy (disintegration, destruction, ultrasound) – Destroy mucous tissues with ultrasound.

Cryosurgery, or cryodestruction – The mucosa is cauterized with nitrogen.

Radio wave (radio frequency) turbinate vasotomy – The nasal mucosa is exposed to an alternating high-frequency current that generates radio waves. Soft tissues are heated and destroyed. This method is not suitable for patients with a narrow nasal passage and children.

Electrocoagulation – The mucous membrane is cauterized with an electrode that is heated by current. This method is not suitable for patients with a narrow nasal passage and children.

Conchotomy (resection) – Remove part of the turbinate and mucosa.

Complications of vasomotor rhinitis

Complications of vasomotor rhinitis

If vasomotor rhinitis is not treated, it often leads to complications.

  1. Chronic sinusitis is inflammation of the paranasal sinuses. Sinusitis will add to the runny nose constant pain in the region of the frontal sinuses.
  2. Otitis media is an inflammation of the middle ear.
  3. Sinusitis – among other complications, sinusitis occurs most often.
  4. Snore.
  5. Hearing impairment – prolonged rhinitis significantly impairs hearing.
  6. Polyps in the nose.
  7. The development of bronchial asthma.
Vasomotor rhinitis: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments

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