Nasal congestion occurs with many colds. If the therapy of this condition is not carried out in a timely manner, it can turn into sinusitis or rhinitis, which leads to complications. About the causes of nasal congestion without a runny nose in adults and treatment in detail in the article.
What is the peculiarity of the state
The state of nasal congestion without a runny nose is not very pleasant. Due to the constant swelling of the mucosa, breathing is disturbed. This symptom leads to serious problems. This manifests itself in the form of decreased performance, concentration, fatigue, sleep disturbances.
This happens with oxygen starvation of the brain, which is caused by insufficient ventilation of the lungs. Breathing through the mouth does not improve the situation, as it does not provide the necessary pressure in the alveoli of the lungs, and oxygen is poorly supplied to the blood.
Nasal congestion without a runny nose in adults is accompanied by the same symptoms asrhinitis, excluding mucous discharge. Under this condition, the appearance is likely:
- dryness, burning, itching in the nose;
- constant sneezing;
- headaches, dizziness;
- lacrimation;
- discomfort in the soft tissues of the face.
Shapes
The causes of nasal congestion without a runny nose in adults can be different. In any case, this condition causes discomfort. Several forms of illness should also be considered:
- Constant. Chronic nasal congestion without a runny nose is the most unpleasant, since even with regular blowing of the nose, relief does not occur. Typically, symptoms persist for several months until the person sees a doctor. Provoking factors include a defect in the bone septum, polyps, diseases of the endocrine system, vasomotor rhinitis. Treatment of persistent nasal congestion without a runny nose should be done under medical supervision.
- Frequent. The regularity of nasal congestion depends on the provoking factor. The exacerbation is replaced by phases of stable remission, so a sick person does not go to the doctor for a long time.
- Night. This condition causes severe discomfort. The causes of nasal congestion without a runny nose at night are physiological and pathological. Appears with sluggish inflammation of the nasopharynx.
- Morning. If congestion occurs in the morning, then you should undergo an examination to identify the causes of this condition. Triggers can range from allergies to bedding or down pillows to sinusitis.
Since a long-term condition is considered a symptom of a chronic pathology in the body, a person should see a doctor as soon as possible. Timely treatment can quickly eliminate discomfort.
Physiological factors
The causes of nasal congestion without a runny nose in adults can be different. Moreover, this is not always associated with a dangerous chronic illness. Often the problem is physiological:
- Lack of humidity in the room. It is usually dry in winter, when the heating devices are actively working. Then the relative humidity can drop to 35-40%, which negatively affects the epithelium of the nose. The mucous membrane will be dry and thin, which leads to the action of protective mechanisms - goblet cells form mucus.
- Wrong diet. When you eat a lot of fatty foods, starchy foods, sweets, especially with a lot of weight, blood sugar rises. The cause of nasal congestion without a runny nose in adults may be a hormonal imbalance.
- Side effects of drugs. If you are undergoing long-term treatment of a chronic ailment in which nasal preparations are used, a dry nasal congestion is a side effect. Often this condition resolves on its own when therapy ends.
- Poor circulation in the head and neck. The problem arises when a person rarely goes out into the fresh air, eats improperly, smokes and drinks alcohol. To improve the condition, you need to do lifestyle correction. Should be more oftenbe outdoors, eliminate bad habits, start exercising.
Suddenly appeared congestion in a he althy person arises from hypothermia. After a frost, an accumulation of mucus in the nose can be felt, which is associated with a sharp narrowing of blood vessels. This state is able to persist during the night, and in the morning the discomfort disappears.
Pathological factors
Causes of persistent nasal congestion without a runny nose can be pathological. They are more often chronic, which leads to long-term discomfort.
Immune cells produce thymus (thymus gland), and their movement through the body occurs with blood flow and lymph flow. If bacteria or viruses multiply in the nose, the response of the defense system will be vasodilation, which increases blood flow to inflammation, immune cells. This is how pathogens are fought.
There are many capillaries in the nasal mucosa. From swelling, the mucous membrane will be thicker, therefore it blocks the nasal canal - partially or completely. Therefore, nasal congestion occurs. Such protection is typical for the initial stage of the disease, when mucus did not appear, and the immune response was launched.
In the chronic course of the disease, this cycle is repeated again and again, since it is not always possible to completely get rid of pathogenic microorganisms with one's own immunity. After the weakening of the protective forces, the bacteria begin to multiply actively again.
Infectious diseases
Causepersistent nasal congestion without a runny nose is inflammation in the paranasal sinuses - sinusitis or sinusitis. If the sinuses are clogged with pus, the mucosa will be inflamed and swollen, which blocks the fistulas.
According to the nature of the flow, the process happens:
- Sharp. In this case, headaches occur, the temperature rises, the nose is constantly blocked.
- Chronic. The above symptoms are absent, and congestion occurs periodically, when the immune system is weakened. For example, from hypothermia, when vasoconstriction occurs and blood flow slows down. This lowers the concentration of immune cells and allows bacteria to multiply.
Another cause of an infectious species is ozena - a fetid runny nose that occurs from the multiplication of pathogenic bacteria in the nose. Mucus does not always come out, creating dried crusts with an unpleasant odor.
The cause of congestion may be a bacterial infection of the larynx. With inflammation of the throat from tonsillitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis, these ailments can lead to swelling of the nasopharynx, and mucous discharge from the nose is not formed.
Allergic reactions
This is also a common cause of long-term nasal congestion. Allergies appear from various factors: plant pollen, house dust, synthetic material, animal hair, the smell of flowers, food, household chemicals, drugs and other irritants.
Congestion occurs from mold spores that are located in places that are not visible to the humaneye. Even cigarette smoke, if others smoke, leads to watery eyes, sneezing, nasal congestion. To confirm the diagnosis, an allergen test by an allergist is required.
Post-nasal drip syndrome
Symptoms are most severe in the morning. It is difficult for a person to breathe through the nose, because in a horizontal position, the mucus drains poorly and closes the internal openings of the nose. There is a lump in the throat, an irritating cough of a dry type occurs. Postnasal drip comes from inflammation in the upper airways.
Mucus and purulent discharge from the nose at night accumulate on the back wall of the larynx, and the person does not even know about the presence of snot. Often this occurs with otitis media, when the mucus from the Eustachian tube passes immediately into the larynx. With ethmoiditis, mucus does not flow into the nose, but into the throat.
In addition to nighttime congestion, there is a headache, high fever, redness of the posterior laryngeal wall, weakness. Drip syndrome is dangerous because the mucus that leaks out enters the stomach, causing digestive upset.
Neoplasms in the nasopharynx
With the growth of polyps and adenoids in the nasal cavity, congestion also appears. In this case, there is usually no snot. Adenoids are called enlarged palatine tonsils, growing due to chronic infections of the upper respiratory tract. This is associated with constant colds, a decrease in immunity, and disturbances in the activity of the lymphatic system.
The danger of polyposis is that nasal mucus does not find an outlet and accumulates in the sinuses, which createsexcellent environment for excellent activity of pathogenic flora. As a result, inflammation of the paranasal sinuses appears.
Polyps are called another disease. These growths are benign. They occur on the epithelium of the nasal passages and sinuses due to frequent sinusitis and malfunctions of the immune system. The mucosa tries to make up for lost functions by thickening the junctional epithelium. In pathology, the olfactory function is disturbed, nasal congestion, sneezing, headaches, nasal voice occur.
Diagnosis
In order for the treatment of nasal congestion without a runny nose in adults to be successful, a comprehensive examination is required. It will help you identify the cause of your discomfort. Diagnostics consists of the following steps:
- Examination by an ENT doctor, questioning the patient about symptoms. The doctor should be informed about chronic ailments, methods of treatment and their effectiveness.
- Examination of the nose with a rhinoscope. The procedure allows you to detect septal imperfections, swelling, mucous discharge.
- Endoscopy. Helps to examine the nasopharynx in detail, identify the symptoms of inflammation of the sinuses, detect neoplasms and deficiencies.
- CT or MRI. Procedures determine the localization of polyps, their size and nature.
Instead of MRI and CT, there may be x-ray of the nasal cavity in 2 projections, which helps to identify sinusitis, polyps and adenoids. If there is a suspicion of an allergic nature of the syndrome, an allergist should be consulted.
Medicines
Treatment of nasal congestion without a runny nose in adults is performed after diagnosis. The reason is that for each provoking factor, individual therapy is needed. How to cure nasal congestion without a runny nose? For this, the doctor recommends a certain therapy. Basically, these are drugs from a pharmacy and folk remedies. The following medications are prescribed:
- Antihistamines for nasal congestion without a runny nose. These include Zirtek, Claritin, Suprastin, Tavegil.
- Systemic sprays with hormonal or antihistamine components. Remedies for nasal congestion without a runny nose include Flixonase, Nasobek, Rinofluimucil.
Requires limiting contact with irritants - drugs, dust, wool, food, plant pollen. These measures are selected individually, after performing skin tests that reveal the type of irritant. Diagnosis is made by a doctor.
How to treat nasal congestion without a runny nose, if it is associated with acute or chronic inflammation of the paranasal sinuses? The doctor usually prescribes antibiotics. Preparations are selected based on the type of pathogens and its resistance to drugs. Commonly used drugs are cephalosporins, penicillins, macrolides.
To reduce swelling and inflammation, antihistamines and sprays with anti-inflammatory and vasoconstrictive effects are used - Protargol, Isofra, Polydex. Before the introduction of topical preparations into the nose, rinsing with saline or the isotonic drug "Dolphin" or "Marimer" is required. itallows you to wash the mucus from the nose in advance and enhance the effect of subsequent medications.
If there is a lot of thick and purulent discharge, the patient is washed with a YAMIK catheter, washed with a Cuckoo or a puncture of the paranasal sinus. Then it is treated with an antiseptic solution. Then the patient can perform the procedure at home, using a soda-s alt solution, a decoction of medicinal herbs or antiseptic preparations, for example, Furacilin.
Neoplasms in the nasopharynx, especially when they reach their maximum size, are removed surgically. There are several ways to do this - laser therapy, cryotherapy, loop removal and other methods of treatment. To prevent the reappearance of polyps, the doctor prescribes topical antibacterial treatment, and immunomodulators are prescribed inside. It is important to respect the dosage and duration of treatment.
Alternative medicine
Folk remedies for nasal congestion without a runny nose can be used as an adjunct to treatment prescribed by a doctor. But it is undesirable to use them separately, as well as to experiment with he alth on your own. Treatment of nasal congestion without a runny nose with folk remedies cannot be compared in effectiveness with synthetic drugs, and the root cause of breathing problems cannot be eliminated. Homemade recipes only relieve the symptom for a short time. And their uncontrolled use can exacerbate the situation at times.
Treatment of nasal congestion without a runny nose with folk remedies consists inusing the following tools:
- Juice based on aloe or Kalanchoe leaves. These plants have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects. Freshly squeezed juice from the leaves makes breathing easier, constricts the capillaries in the nose, stops the reproduction of pathogenic microbes and clears a clogged nose. You should squeeze the juice, dilute it with water (1:3), after which you can bury 3-4 drops several times a day.
- Garlic. This root crop contains many phytoncides and useful components that eliminate harmful microorganisms. You should take a clove, grind it and place it in a glass. The dishes are placed in a water bath, then a cardboard funnel is prepared. Garlic is covered with the wide side, and vapors are inhaled through the narrow side for 5 minutes.
- Honey. This powerful anti-inflammatory product helps to eliminate long-term nasal congestion. You need small cotton swabs that are dipped in liquid honey and held in the nose for 15 minutes.
- Beet-carrot composition. You should grate 1 medium-sized fruit, squeeze the juice and bury it 3 times a day, a few drops. It is also allowed to dilute it in half with water.
- Plantain leaves. It will take 1 tbsp. raw materials to be poured (250 ml). The tool must be infused. After cooling to 35-38 degrees, the composition can be used for instillation into the nose. It relieves congestion from an allergy or bacterial infection.
Excellent effect is provided by inhalation of vapors of essential oils of eucalyptus, fir, pine, mint, lavender. It is allowed to stir a few drops of etherol in hot water. Breathe over steamfollowed by 10-15 minutes. Dry inhalation is allowed - a few drops are applied to a handkerchief or napkin, placed on the table and the vapors are inhaled.
Probable Complications
The list of negative consequences includes atrophic changes in the mucous epithelium of the nose. When the tissue is not able to perform its functions fully, it provides easy penetration of infections through the nose. Due to atrophic rhinitis, the nasopharynx will be defenseless against viruses, allergens and bacteria, which affects the frequency of colds and allergic reactions.
Another complication is considered to be a pathological change in the structure of the nasal turbinates. To compensate for the lack of air and increased stress on the nostrils, the cavities will be wider, often a surgical method is required to solve this problem.
A complication of allergic rhinitis is the development of bronchial asthma, which is quite difficult to cure. Prolonged inflammation in the paranasal sinuses leads to meningitis, frequent sore throats, sinusitis and other inflammations that become chronic over time.
Conclusion
Nasal congestion that appears for no apparent reason can be the impetus for the appearance of complications, which are not so easy to get rid of. If the nose is blocked only occasionally, but the feeling disappears after several washings or inhalations, you should not worry. You should panic when the function of breathing does not return for several weeks or months - in this caseyou need to urgently go to the ENT doctor for an examination.
