If a person has a stuffy nose, a headache, then this can be a symptom of many diseases. And some of them are quite dangerous. Therefore, if you have a stuffy nose and ears, especially if your head hurts, you should definitely be examined by a doctor.
Paranasal sinuses
The human skull is rather complicated, there are several names for the facial and paranasal sinuses alone. Inflammation can affect any of them. From the sinus, in which the inflammation of the mucous membrane began with the release of mucus, and the name of the pathology arises. For example, if this happened with the maxillary sinuses, then the disease, respectively, is called sinusitis.
There are sinuses not only in the paranasal space, but also in the forehead area of a person. Inflammation in such places is necessarily accompanied by severe pain in the face.
Therapy of pathologies in the facial sinuses is handled by an otolaryngologist, or ENT. Therefore, if a person has a stuffy nose and a headache, then this specialist should be contacted first.queue.
Causes of sinus disease
Inflammation and swelling of the mucosa in the facial sinuses occurs for a number of reasons. This may be due to an acute respiratory viral disease. It starts from the throat and bronchi, then goes to the paranasal and frontal sinuses.
A person can easily become a victim of pathological microorganisms, such as staphylococci, streptococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella and so on. All of them are carried through the air, if they enter the body, they can provoke the appearance of pus in the sinuses.
The third reason is allergies. Such a reaction can occur on any substance, from plant pollen and room dust to expensive perfume. The provocateur of mucosal edema in the sinuses may be the smell of paint or varnish. So if a person has a stuffy nose, a headache, and there is no temperature, then this is most likely an allergy. Worst of all, when there are several causes of swelling of the mucous membrane in the sinuses at once, in this case, treatment can take many months.
Sinusitis
This disease is the leader in frequency of occurrence. It consists in inflammation of the maxillary sinuses located near the nose on the upper jaw. Chronic runny nose leads to sinusitis. Indeed, with a stuffy nose, the outflow of mucus from the sinuses is much more difficult or even impossible. The accumulated mucus eventually begins to turn into pus, which is accompanied by severe pain in the front of the head. Most often, a person with chronic sinusitis has a stuffy nose, a headache, and there is no temperature, except for periodsexacerbations. An increase in the amount of pus in the maxillary sinuses leads to a general intoxication of the body, the spread of the disease to the rest of the facial sinuses. Body temperature may rise during this stage.
Treatment usually consists of piercing the sinuses and then pumping out the accumulated mucus and pus. At the same time, the patient is being treated with antibiotics.
Frontite
This disease is the second most common after sinusitis. It occurs for the same reason, when a chronic runny nose does not allow mucus to leave the sinus. And if an infection joins it, then the person has a stuffy nose and a headache, and much stronger than with sinusitis, since frontal sinusitis is inflammation of the sinuses in the frontal part of the skull.
The consequence of frontal sinusitis is chronic pain in the head, constant nasal congestion and, at the end, general intoxication of the body caused by a large amount of pus in the sinuses.
Sphenoiditis
In this case, inflammation occurs in the sphenoid sinus, and it is located in the region of the temporal bone. This location of the sinuses causes pain in the head in the back of the head or temples.
Cause and effect of development - stuffy nose and headache. But sphenoiditis rarely occurs, since part of the fluid leaves through the ducts leading to the throat, and they are usually open. That is, chronic inflammation can be avoided. Accordingly, the disease is treated more easily, since drug therapy is usually enough.
Allergy
If a person has a headache,stuffy nose, then he most likely has allergic rhinitis or rhinoconjunctivitis. In other words, the body's immune system reacts sharply to a certain substance, when it hits the surface of the mucous membrane, it tries to get rid of it, increasing the secretion of mucus.
The condition is similar to a cold: a headache, a stuffy nose, a breakdown is observed. The person is not feeling very well and may have reddened or watery eyes.
A person does not have a temperature in this condition, this is just the sign by which it is usually determined that this is an allergic reaction, and not an infectious disease.
The treatment of allergic rhinitis is quite complex, it involves the use of hormonal drugs and physiotherapy. That is why only a doctor, that is, a professional, can conduct it, and even then only after a complete diagnosis of the patient, including the results of an analysis for hormones.
Polyps
Completely or partially block the nasal ducts in order to impede the outflow of mucus from the sinuses, polyps can. These are benign neoplasms. In general, the polyp is not dangerous. This is not an oncological formation, therefore it is not capable of metastasizing. The whole complexity of the situation with polyps lies in the blocked ducts.
Unfortunately, conservative treatment for polyps has not yet been developed. Only surgery can help a person in this situation.
Nasal congestion in children
If a child has a stuffy nose and ears, a headache, this does not always mean that he has a cold. Although in this situation, it is not recommended to start treatment without a doctor's examination. We should not forget that the mucous membrane of babies is extremely sensitive, especially in the first months of life. Indeed, during this period, his mucous membrane had not yet had time to get used to changes in temperature, humidity and various irritants in the air.
When a child has a stuffy nose and a headache, it is enough to suck out the mucus from the nose with a small enema, and also bring his room to normal conditions for him. It should be warm and humid. To increase the humidity, it is enough to place a container of water next to the crib. It is very important to remove irritants from the room, such as pets, plants with a strong odor. Clothes and bedding should be washed with ordinary laundry soap without artificial flavors and dyes. The room needs daily wet cleaning.
All these measures will help the baby breathe calmly.
Diagnosis and treatment of nasal congestion
Many are wondering when the nose is blocked and the head hurts, what to do. The answer is obvious - go to an appointment with an otolaryngologist. Only a specialist will be able to understand the cause of the common cold and prescribe adequate treatment. For this, an external examination of the patient is carried out, an anamnesis is taken. If required, mucus from the nose and blood from a vein are examined in the laboratory.
Drug treatment is aimed at relieving edema and fighting pathogenicorganisms that settled in the sinuses.
Vasoconstrictor drugs are presented as follows: "Galazolin", "Nazol", "Xilen", "Rinorus", "Naftimizin", "Formazolin" and the like. The course of treatment with such means should not exceed 10-15 days, as the body gets used to them, and the effectiveness decreases. But the most dangerous thing is that the body will not be able to do without such drugs in the future. There are cases when a person was forced to use a nasal spray for 15-20 years.
Antiviral therapy is carried out with Relenza, Tamiflu or Peramivir. Inflammation is relieved by Paracetamol or Nimesil.
The mucous membrane and ducts in the sinuses are washed with special solutions. Procedures are carried out only in the presence of a doctor and only in his office. Self-washing at home is strongly discouraged.
Physiotherapy activities
Physiotherapy ranks first in the treatment of chronic diseases of the facial sinuses and ducts. For example, using electrophoresis, drugs are delivered directly to the blood, bypassing the gastrointestinal tract.
And inhalations with peppermint, eucalyptus and other aromatic products can be done even at home. To change the structure of the mucous membrane, treatment with an electromagnetic field is used - UHF.
Paraffin compresses show high efficiency. They not only relieve swelling from the mucous membrane, but also restore its structure at the molecular level.
Surgical treatment
Surgical treatment of nasal congestion is the last resort. But, unfortunately, in some cases it is the only one left for the patient. The task of the surgeon is to free the duct for the normal outflow of mucus. If polyps became the cause of its overlap, then they are easily removed. But, if prolonged use of nasal sprays and similar drugs has led to the fact that the nasal septum is deformed, the doctor needs all his skill to restore it and the ducts for air access.
If pus has accumulated in the facial sinuses, then it is removed with a long needle passed through the nasal ducts.
Treatment of nasal congestion with folk remedies
When a person has a stuffy nose and a headache, weakness in the arms and legs, dizziness, only complex treatment prescribed by a specialist can help him.
But if there is a slight runny nose, and not inflammatory, but of an allergic nature, then you can try to get rid of it using traditional medicine methods.
The nose can be instilled with aloe juice. This not only relieves swelling, but also reduces the likelihood of an infectious disease.
You can inhale the smell of grated garlic and onions. Potato juice helps well if mixed with onion juice and honey. This remedy should be instilled into the nose at least 2 times a day. It will be useful if you have a headache, a stuffy nose, but no snot.
Prevention of nasal congestion
Since nasal congestion and subsequent pathologies are a directa consequence of weakened immunity, in order to prevent it, it makes sense to strengthen the body's immune system in every possible way. To do this, you need to temper, exercise regularly and eat foods rich in vitamins and fiber.
In order for a person not to complain that his nose is blocked and his head hurts, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the nose. For example, to be operated on in time if the septum is damaged after an injury.
From a cold, you need to be treated qualitatively, as prescribed by a doctor. And if a course of the drug is prescribed for 15 days, then you need to take it for all 15 days. And do not stop taking on the third or fourth day.
Oral hygiene is important for the condition of the nose. You need to brush your teeth regularly: in the morning and in the evening, - and the caries that has appeared should be treated immediately, without waiting for the complete destruction of the tooth.
It is very important to stop drinking alcohol and smoking. These habits not only weaken the immune system, but also destroy the respiratory and digestive organs. A person will not have normal breathing if he regularly breathes smoke filled with nicotine, tar, heavy metals and other combustion products.
As for children, you need to carefully monitor that they do not get cold, so that there are no drafts in their room, it is always clean, and the air is of normal humidity.
If a child has a stuffy nose and a severe headache due to an allergy to pet hair, there is no need to rush to get rid of a four-legged friend. An allergy of this nature can sometimes go away on its own, and thistime the animal needs to restrict access to the baby's room.
