How Allergic Rhinitis Can Become Atrophic Rhinitis, and What You Can Do to Stop It
Next to the common cold, allergic rhinitis (also known as hay fever) is probably the most common health complaint in the United States and Canada. It's also a common condition in the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. A small number of cases of allergic rhinitis become the more serious atrophic rhinitis—a condition that is usually preventable.
Atrophic rhinitis usually begins with heavy nasal crusting. Sheets of mucus line the nostrils. They are easily removed with irrigation, such as using a neti pot.
In some cases, however, the accumulation of dry mucus is just the first symptom. There is decay of the tissues of the nostrils that can literally go down the sinus bone, and the odor of decay, while not smelled by the person who has the condition, can be unbearable to people around him or her.
You should not take iron unless you have had a blood test that indicates you need iron, because about 2% of the population most of the Western world carries genes for iron overload, in which excessive accumulation of iron can result in liver damage, diabetes, and sexual dysfunction.
And you should not take more than 5,000 IU of vitamin A day if there is any possibility you are pregnant. But far better than treating atrophic rhinitis is preventing it in the first place.
Atrophic rhinitis usually begins with heavy nasal crusting. Sheets of mucus line the nostrils. They are easily removed with irrigation, such as using a neti pot.
In some cases, however, the accumulation of dry mucus is just the first symptom. There is decay of the tissues of the nostrils that can literally go down the sinus bone, and the odor of decay, while not smelled by the person who has the condition, can be unbearable to people around him or her.
How Can Allergic Rhinitis, Also Known as Hay Fever, Lead to This Dreadful Condition?
- In drier areas of China, Egypt, and India, the air carries a bacterium known as Klebsiella ozenae. When allergies inflame the nostrils, this bacterium can infect the nose and begin the atrophic disease.
- In most of the rest of the world, atrophic rhinitis begins as nasal polyps. It's not entirely sure whether allergies cause polyps or polyps cause allergies, but the two conditions tend to go together. When the polyps are surgically removed, then atrophic rhinitis sets in.
- Blowing the nose over and over again can literally wear down the lining of the nostrils so that the nasal cavity begins to decay and collapse.
There Are Also Several Surprising Characteristics of People who Develop This Condition:
- They tend to have low, not high, cholesterol.
- They tend to be deficient in vitamin A.
- They tend to be deficient in iron.
- Women who have atrophic rhinitis tend to have worse symptoms during menstruation, during pregnancy, and when they take estrogen replacement therapy.
You should not take iron unless you have had a blood test that indicates you need iron, because about 2% of the population most of the Western world carries genes for iron overload, in which excessive accumulation of iron can result in liver damage, diabetes, and sexual dysfunction.
And you should not take more than 5,000 IU of vitamin A day if there is any possibility you are pregnant. But far better than treating atrophic rhinitis is preventing it in the first place.
There Are Two Devices that You Should NOT Be Without.
- An aromatherapy humidifier prevents nasal inflammation and nosebleed when you have nasal allergies. It can help you get over colds and flu faster. It can even help keep your skin from wrinkling. Most importantly, it can help keep you from catching the Klebsiella bacterium that causes the disease.
- A HEPA air filtration unit in every room in your home will remove Klebsiella and many other pathogens from the air you breathe. Home air filtration with HEPA air filtration can help prevent both nasal allergies and atrophic rhinitis.
Allergic Rhinitis Articles
- What Is Allergic Rhinitis?
- Is Allergy The Same as Allergic Rhinitis?
- Allergic Rhinitis Symptoms
- Is It Allergic Rhinitis or Vasomotor Rhinitis
- Allergic Rhinitis Symptoms: They Are Not Necessarily What You Think
- Rhinitis Symptoms: Is It Allergic Rhinitis or Viral Rhinitis?
- How Allergic Rhinitis Becomes Viral Rhinitis and What You Can Do to Stop It
- How Allergic Rhinitis Can Become Atrophic Rhinitis, and What You Can Do to Stop It
- Allergic Rhinitis and Gustatory Rhinitis: What's the Difference?
- The Best Treatment for Allergic Rhinitis Doesn't Come from Your Drugstore
