Non-Allergic Rhinitis

Your nose is stuffy but you don’t have a cold, so what’s causing all that congestion?

Well, for starters, while it is a common culprit, colds aren’t the only reason that you might be feeling congested. Dr. Ali Ghahary, a family physician from Vancouver, says there can be many different factors that can cause nasal congestion – including things like dust, as well as pollen (which is more prevalent in the spring and summer months) – also known as hay fever.

However, when things like allergies or a common cold aren’t contributing to your nasal congestion, you may have a condition known as non-allergic rhinopathy, previously known as vasomotor rhinitis. With non-allergic rhinopathy you may experience things like a runny nose and sneezing along with nasal congestion. Unlike nasal congestion, which is caused due to allergies, allergic rhinopathy is not. Instead, your symptoms are simply the result of something in your environment causing your nose to become irritated. This could be anything from dry air or air pollution, certain medications, spicy foods, alcohol, certain odours such as perfumes or other household products, and even severe stress and anxiety.

In order to figure out what’s causing your nasal congestion, Dr. Ali Ghahary will ask patients to take note of when the congestion occurs and what, if anything, seems to trigger that congestion – both at home and in their work environments. Sometimes writing these triggers (and the symptoms you experience) down in a diary can help you keep better track and provide your physician with more detailed information. In cases where triggers cannot be easily identified, Dr. Ali Ghahary recommends patients go for allergy testing. Once certain triggers have been identified, you will be able to avoid them and hopefully reduce the nasal congestion you’re experiencing.

Along with avoiding known irritants, Dr. Ali Ghahary may also recommend patients take antihistamines or use a corticosteroid nasal spray, which can help reduce the symptoms of non-allergic rhinopathy. There are many nasal decongestants that can also be found over the counter. However, many of these OTC sprays are not recommended for long-term use, and anything past 3 to 5 days could actually worsen nasal congestion and result in a condition known as rebound congestion.