Dr. J M Hans

Rhinitis is an irritable medical condition where the mucous lining of a person's nose swells up. The term is more of a category and less of a definitive way to describe something specific. Rhinitis involves a host of other conditions that affect the mucous membranes of your nose.

If you were not aware, common cold is also a kind of rhinitis. Rhinitis can cause acute touchiness in the inner lining of the nose leading to continuous discharges from one's nose. It can also lead to clogging of your nose or inflammation of the internal tissues.

Rhinitis can be divided under two main types; allergic and non-allergic rhinitis. Allergic rhinitis, popularly known as hay fever is caused due to contact with allergens that are usually undamaging. However, in case of non- allergic rhinitis the symptoms take after that of the allergic type but no particular causal factor can be identified.

Factors that can increase your propensity to suffer from rhinitis of any kind are:

• Pollen from flowers
• Inhaling certain substances can be harmful; smell of certain chemicals is bad too.
• Both active, as well as passive smoking, can be detrimental
• High level of air pollution contributes to the risk
• Weather conditions affect your health; a windy yet humid weather can aggravate rhinitis.

Common symptoms of rhinitis can be listed as below:

1. A person suffering from this condition might catch a cold all of a sudden.
2. People, usually little children, might even face high fevers.
3. Your nose tends to be runny. After the infection subsides, chances of a thick, sticky discharge are more.
4. Exhaustion is also felt in combination with headaches and teary eyes.
5. The nature of your nasal discharge tells the doctor if you are suffering from an allergy or from a viral infection.

A few preventive measures to aid you against rhinitis:

1. Rhinitis can be communicable and in most cases, it is so. Therefore a person should not share his or her utensils and other personal things such as towels or handkerchiefs with any other person.
2. One should not be in close proximity of another infected person.
3. Hands are the most common sources of infection. One must wash his or her unclean hands before touching the face.

The nasal septum divides the nose into two nostrils or airways. When this septum is defective in structure or position, it can cause several physical difficulties like breathing problems, sleep apnea, bleeding, sinusitis, etc. The surgery to correct the nasal septum is known as septoplasty. The surgery is very common and has a high rate of success.
 
Reason: When the bone and cartilage separating the two chambers is crooked and deformed, it prevents the air from flowing properly through either one of the nostrils. People suffering from this condition often breathe through their mouth and this leads to respiratory tract infections. So, the septum is fixed with the help of septoplasty.
 
Procedure:

1. First, your medical history is taken. A thorough physical examination is conducted and the nose is photographed from the inside and the outside. You may also be asked to avoid medication like ibuprofen, naproxen and aspirin for a few days since these can increase the bleeding after surgery.
2. Septoplasty is performed under general or localized anesthesia and takes about 90 minutes. Incisions are made on the inside of the nose and the mucus membrane is lifted.
3. Then, the pieces of cartilage that are affecting normal functioning are repositioned or removed.
4. If the nasal bone is causing the septum to be wrongly aligned, then cuts are made on the bone and it is positioned correctly.
5. Sometimes, cartilage grafts (called spreader grafts) are put in between the upper nose cartilage and the septum to widen the narrow nostril.
6. After this, the mucus membrane is put back in place and stitched.

Post-surgical care: A nasal support is put inside the nose to help it heal and keep it straight. The support is removed after two days but there may be swelling and occasional nasal discharge for a few days. The tissues and cartilage become stable within 4 to 6 months.

You are asked not to blow your nose or cough and sneeze too much as these might displace the nasal support. The head is to be kept at a higher level than the rest of the body while sleeping and physically demanding exercises are to be avoided in order to prevent nosebleeds.
 
Risks: Septoplasty is not performed if the patient had a high level of blood sugar or high blood pressure. It is also delayed in case of any kind of infection in the nose, mouth or in the respiratory tract.