Nasal Congestion

Nasal congestion is a nasal obstruction that we all have experienced at least once in our lives. We also call this a runny or stuffy nose. Sometimes, it can be bilateral, sometimes unilateral. It can be mild or very severe. But we cannot consider every nasal congestion a disease.

The First Complaint in Nasal Congestion

The nose is the most prominent organ of our face. It consists mainly of bone and cartilage structures. The nose is originally an organ of smell, a sense that increases people’s comfort in life. The first complaint that occurs in nasal congestion is generally a smell disorder.

Air Conditioning

The nasal mucosa consists of vascular structures. These structures heat, moisten, and filter the air passing through the nose. We can call this air conditioning. Thanks to these, our lungs can work at full capacity. Because if the air passing through the nose does not pass through these processes, there will be a significant decrease in the working capacity of the lungs.

Nasal Congestion or Nasal Cycle?

In general, if we measure it instantaneously, we see that the amount of air passing from one side of the nose is different from the other side. But in total, the daily airflow passing from both sides (right and left nasal cavity) is equal. The body maintains the balance of both sides by changing the moisture rates between approximately every 30 minutes – 4 hours. We call this the nasal cycle. In this respect, situations in our daily life such as the occlusion of one side of the nose and opening of the other side after a while and then the occlusion of the again other side are normal physiological events. In other words, it is a normal situation that which the obstructed side is variable at certain intervals, which we call the nasal cycle.

Nasal Congestion Symptoms

Nasal congestion often does not happen alone. In the first stage, we experience more smell disorders than nasal congestion. Snoring and headache may accompany this situation. In addition, a person with nasal congestion may have bad breath, dry mouth, and taste disturbance. In these cases, oral care products (eg, mouthwash with the American Dental Association (ADA) seal such as TheraBreath Fresh Breath, CloSYS Sensitive Gentle Mint, CloSYS Ultra Sensitive Unflavored, Biotene Dry Mouth Oral Rinse, or a different choice: Tom’s of Maine Natural Wicked Fresh Mouthwash) will relieve bad breath and dry mouth and also freshen the mouth may be beneficial.

Congenital Nasal Obstruction in Infants

When congenital nasal obstructions in babies are unilateral, we often don’t notice them. But we see the double-sided ones immediately. Because babies do not know mouth breathing in the first 6 months of life and need nasal breathing. These babies turn purple when they suck their mother, but recover when they cry. Their treatment is done by surgical surgery.

What CausesNasal Congestion

Apart from congenital causes, allergies, infections, trauma, tumors, foreign bodies, or other drug-related conditions may also cause nasal congestion. Even normal physiological conditions such as pregnancy can cause nasal congestion. Interestingly, it completely disappears in the first 1-3 days after birth without any treatment.

Conclusion

As a result, it is useful to mention some important issues about nasal congestion. If there is a runny nose accompanying unilateral nasal obstruction in children, then a foreign body should be considered. Again, if children have breathing problems, night snoring, and sleeping with an open mouth, they may be caused by adenoid vegetation. In young patients, polyps cause more nasal obstruction. However, if it is accompanied by bleeding in young people, we look at whether there is a malignancy or not. In older patients, if there is nasal obstruction, even unilateral, malignant causes should be suspected first.