Should not be subjective when the stuffy nose lasts.

       The erratic weather causes many people to suffer from stuffy nose, runny nose, sinusitis… According to Associate Professor, Doctor, Doctor Nguyen Thi Ngoc Dinh, Former Director of the Central Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital, the above diseases can be left for a long time. hazardous.

Seasonal change is the time when there is a sudden change in weather. At this time, the human body has not yet adapted, the immune system is weak, creating favorable conditions for bacteria to attack.

Usually, disease-causing bacteria often live in the nose, throat, household items such as clothes, blankets, mats …, in favorable weather conditions such as cold weather, humid places, and malnutrition. they cause disease.

According to statistics, in the process of inhaling air through the nose to breathe, every day people inhale about 10,000 microorganisms. Therefore, every cold season, acute respiratory infections increase, the mortality rate is estimated at 3 million children under 5 years old.

Our air quality is problematic, especially in big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Every day, the central ENT hospitals receive nearly 1,000 people for examination, of which half have sinusitis, rhinitis and most are diagnosed due to inhaling dust.

– How dangerous is stuffy nose and runny nose?

The nasal cavity has the function of air circulation, in addition, it also has the function of filtering, warming and humidifying the air. Thus, in the cold season, when the outside air is dry and cold, with a lot of dust and dirt, after being inhaled, passing through the nasal cavity, the air entering the lungs will become clean, warm and moist enough, no infect the lungs.

In case the nasal cavity is blocked, it is impossible to breathe through the nose but must breathe through the mouth, the breathing air will not be filtered, warmed and humidified, so it is easy to cause pharyngitis, laryngitis, gastritis. bronchitis and pneumonia. In addition, a blocked nose also directly affects sleep, work performance, and reduces quality of life.

Nasopharyngitis is closely associated with otitis media in children and adults, sinusitis, and respiratory tract infections, with special effects on bronchitis and pneumonia. Therefore, we should not ignore the prolonged stuffy nose, it is necessary to see a specialist to determine the cause. –

The doctor just mentioned that air pollution and seasonal changes cause rhinitis. What about people with allergic rhinitis?

Allergic disease is a global disease, especially in developing countries, second only to cardiovascular diseases and cancer. The prevalence of the disease in the population is 15-20%. The disease is increasing in developed countries due to industrial development and environmental pollution, because the nasal mucosa becomes too sensitive to pathogens (allergens).

This rate is 16%, which means we have about 14 million people suffering from allergic rhinitis, with symptoms such as itchy nose, runny nose, sneezing, stuffy nose… Allergic rhinitis is not dangerous, but but has reduced quality of life and increased medical costs.

– Please tell me how diseases such as runny nose, rhinitis and allergic rhinitis can be prevented?

Everyone, especially young children, needs to eat enough nutrients to improve health, improve resistance to prevent many types of bacteria from entering the body.

We should keep a cool, well-lit place to stay, avoid drafts. In the cold season, we need to keep warm when we leave the house.
When the main means of transportation is still a motorbike, we need to wear a mask when going out, need to regularly spray deep sea water to clean the nasal mucosa.

Deep sea water with a mist sprayer containing eucalyptus and mint will help disperse fine particles rich in minerals deep into the nasal cavity, helping to disinfect the nose and throat, removing dirt, allergens and bacteria.

When infected, the patient needs to clean the mucus in the nose with deep sea water, which helps to loosen phlegm, relieve cough, disinfect and reduce respiratory edema. I still recommend that my patients wash their nose several times a day, 6-8 times a day when possible.