Nasal congestion without a runny nose in adults: causes, treatment with medicines and folk remedies

Nasal congestion occurs in many colds. If the therapy of this condition is not carried out in a timely manner, it can go into sinusitis or rhinitis, which leads to complications. On the causes of nasal congestion without a runny nose in adults and treatment in detail in the article.

What is the feature of the state

Nasal congestion without a runny nose is not very pleasant. Due to the constant swelling of the mucous membrane, breathing is disturbed. This symptom leads to serious problems. This is manifested in the form of decreased performance, concentration, fatigue, sleep disturbance.

This happens with oxygen starvation of the brain, which is caused by insufficient ventilation of the lungs. Breathing through the mouth does not improve the situation, since it does not provide the necessary pressure in the alveoli of the lungs, and oxygen does not enter the blood well.

Nasal congestion without a runny nose in adults is accompanied by the same symptoms as rhinitis, excluding mucous discharge. In this condition, the appearance of:

• dryness, burning, itching in the nose;
• constant sneezing;
• headaches, dizziness;
• lacrimation
• discomfort in the soft tissues of the face.

Forms

The causes of nasal congestion without a runny nose in adults can be different. In any case, this condition causes discomfort. You should also consider several forms of the disease:

1. Constant. Chronic nasal congestion without a runny nose is the most unpleasant, because even with regular blowing, relief does not occur. Usually the symptoms persist for several months until a person visits a doctor. Provoking factors include a bone septal defect, polyps, endocrine system diseases, and vasomotor rhinitis. Treatment for persistent nasal congestion without a cold should be performed under the supervision of a physician.
2. Often. The regularity of nasal congestion depends on the provoking factor. An exacerbation is replaced by phases of persistent remission, so a sick person for a long time does not consult a doctor.
3. Nightly. This condition causes severe discomfort. The causes of nasal congestion without a runny nose at night are physiological and pathological. Appears with sluggish inflammation of the nasopharynx.
4. Morning. If congestion occurs in the morning, then an examination should be done to identify the causes of this condition. Provoking factors can be different - from allergies to bedding or down pillows to sinusitis.

Since a prolonged condition is considered a symptom of the presence of chronic pathology in the body, a person should consult a doctor as soon as possible. Timely treatment can quickly eliminate discomfort.

Physiological factors

The causes of nasal congestion without a runny nose in adults can be different. Moreover, this is not always associated with a dangerous chronic illness. Often the problem is in physiological reasons:

1. Lack of humidity in the room. Usually it is dry in the winter, when heating appliances are actively working. Then the relative humidity can drop to 35-40%, which negatively affects the epithelium of the nose. The mucous membrane will be dry and thin, which leads to the action of protective mechanisms - goblet cells form mucus.
2. Improper nutrition. When you eat a lot of fatty foods, flour, sweet, especially with a lot of weight, sugar rises in the blood. The cause of nasal congestion without a cold in adults can be hormonal imbalance.
3. Side effect of drugs. If a long-term treatment of a chronic illness takes place, in which nasal preparations are used, dry nasal congestion is a side effect. Often this condition goes away on its own when therapy is completed.
4. Poor blood circulation in the head and neck. The problem arises when a person rarely goes out into the fresh air, eats improperly, smokes and drinks alcohol. To improve the condition, you need to do lifestyle correction. It should often be in the fresh air, eliminate bad habits, start playing sports.

A sharp nasal congestion in a healthy person arises from hypothermia. After frost, an accumulation of mucus in the nose can be felt, which is associated with a sharp narrowing of the vessels. This condition can persist during the night, and in the morning the discomfort disappears.

Pathological factors

The causes of constant nasal congestion without a runny nose can be pathological. They are more often chronic in nature, which leads to prolonged discomfort.

Immune cells produce the thymus (thymus gland), and their movement through the body occurs with blood flow and lymph flow. If bacteria or viruses multiply in the nose, the response of the protective system will be vasodilation, which increases the flow of blood to inflammation of immune cells. This is how the fight against pathogenic microorganisms occurs.

There are many capillaries in the nasal mucosa. From swelling, the mucous membrane will be thicker, therefore, it blocks the nasal canal - partially or completely. Therefore, nasal congestion occurs. Such protection is characteristic of the initial stage of the disease, when the mucus did not appear, and the immune response was launched.

In the chronic course of the disease, this cycle is repeated again and again, since it is not always possible to completely get rid of pathogenic microorganisms with your own immunity. After weakening the protective forces, the bacteria again begin to multiply actively.

Infectious ailments

The cause of constant nasal congestion without a runny nose is inflammation in the paranasal sinuses - sinusitis or sinusitis. If the sinuses are clogged with pus, the mucosa will be inflamed and swollen, which blocks the anastomoses.

By the nature of the flow, the process happens:

1. Sharp. In this case, headaches occur, the temperature rises, the nose is constantly stuffy.
2. Chronic. The above symptoms are absent, and congestion occurs periodically, with a weakened immune system. For example, from hypothermia, when there is a narrowing of blood vessels and a slowdown in blood flow. This lowers the concentration of immune cells and allows bacteria to multiply.

Another cause of the infectious species is ozena - it is a fetid runny nose that arises from the multiplication of pathogenic bacteria in the nose. Mucus does not always go outside, creating dried crusts with an unpleasant odor.

The cause of congestion may be a bacterial lesion of the larynx. With inflammation of the throat from tonsillitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis, these ailments can lead to swelling of the nasopharynx, and mucous discharge from the nose is not formed.

Allergic reactions

This is also a common cause of prolonged nasal congestion. Allergies arise from various factors: plant pollen, house dust, synthetic material, animal hair, the smell of flowers, foods, household chemicals, medicines, and other irritants.

Congestion arises from mold spores that are located in places that are not visible to the human eye. Even smoke from cigarettes, if others smoke, leads to lacrimation, sneezing, nasal congestion. To confirm the diagnosis, an allergen test is required from an allergist.

Postnasal leakage syndrome

Symptoms are most pronounced in the morning. It is difficult for a person to breathe through the nose, since in a horizontal position the mucus drains poorly and closes the internal openings of the nose. There is a lump in the throat, and an irritating, dry type of cough occurs. Postnasal leakage appears from inflammation in the upper respiratory tract.

Mucus and purulent discharge from the nose at night accumulate on the back of the larynx, and the person does not even know about the presence of snot. Often this occurs with otitis media, when mucus from the Eustachian tube passes immediately to the larynx. With ethmoiditis, mucus does not flow into the nose, but into the throat.

In addition to nocturnal congestion, headache, fever, redness of the posterior laryngeal wall, and weakness occur. Drip syndrome is dangerous because leaky mucous secretions penetrate the stomach, causing digestive upset.

Nasopharynx neoplasms

With the growth of polyps and adenoids in the nasal cavity, congestion also appears. In this case, there are usually no snot. Adenoids are called enlarged palatine tonsils, which grow due to chronic infections of the upper respiratory tract. This is associated with persistent colds, decreased immunity, and disorders in the activity of the lymphatic system.

The danger of polyposis is that nasal mucus does not find a way out and accumulates in the sinuses, which creates an excellent environment for the excellent activity of pathogenic flora. As a result, inflammation of the paranasal sinuses appears.

Polyps call another disease. These growths are benign. They occur on the epithelium of the nasal passages and sinuses due to frequent sinusitis and malfunctioning of the immune system. The mucosa tries to make up for lost functions by thickening the connective epithelium. With pathology, the olfactory function is disrupted, there is a nasal congestion, sneezing, headaches, nasal voice.

Diagnostics

For the treatment of nasal congestion without a runny nose in adults to be successful, a comprehensive examination is required. With its help, it will be possible to identify the cause of discomfort. Diagnostics consists of the following steps:

1. Examination by an ENT doctor, interviewing a patient about symptoms. The doctor must be notified of chronic ailments, treatment methods and their effectiveness.
2. Examination of the nose with a rhinoscope. The procedure allows you to detect the defects of the septum, edema, mucous discharge.
3. Endoscopy Helps to conduct a study of the nasopharynx in detail, to identify the symptoms of sinus inflammation, to detect neoplasms and deficiencies.
4. CT or MRI. Procedures establish the localization of polyps, their size and nature.

Instead of MRI and CT, there may be a x-ray of the nasal cavity in 2 projections, which helps to identify sinusitis, polyps and adenoids. If there is a suspicion of the allergic nature of the syndrome, an allergist consultation is needed.

Medicines

Treatment of nasal congestion without a runny nose in adults is performed after diagnosis. The reason is that for every provoking factor, individual therapy is needed. How to cure nasal congestion without a cold? For this, the doctor recommends certain therapy. These are mainly drugs from the pharmacy and folk remedies. Of the medicines, the following are prescribed:

1. Antihistamines for nasal congestion without a cold. These include Zirtek, Claritin, Suprastin, Tavegil.
2. Sprays of systemic action with hormonal or antihistamine components. The remedies for nasal congestion without a cold include Flixonase, Nasobek, Rinofluimucil.

It is necessary to limit contact with irritants - drugs, dust, hair, products, plant pollen. These measures are selected individually, after performing skin tests that identify the type of irritant. Diagnosis is carried out by a doctor.

How to treat nasal congestion without a cold if it is associated with acute or chronic inflammation of the paranasal sinuses? Usually, the doctor prescribes antibiotics. Drugs are selected based on the type of pathogen and its resistance to medications. Usually used funds from cephalosporins, penicillins, macrolides.

To reduce swelling and inflammation, antihistamines and sprays with anti-inflammatory and vasoconstrictive effects are used - Protargol, Isofra, Polydex. Before the introduction of topical preparations into the nose, rinsing with saline or the isotonic preparation Dolphin or Marimer is required. This allows you to pre-wash the mucus from the nose and enhance the effect of subsequent drugs.

If there are a lot of thick and purulent discharge, the patient is washed with a NMR catheter, washed with a Cuckoo or puncture of the paranasal sinus. Then processing is carried out with an antiseptic solution. Then the patient can perform the procedure at home, using soda-saline solution, a decoction of medicinal herbs or antiseptic drugs, for example, Furacilina.

Neoplasms in the nasopharynx, especially when they reach the maximum size, are removed surgically. There are several ways to do this - laser therapy, cryotherapy, loop removal and other treatments. To prevent the reappearance of polyps, the doctor prescribes antibacterial treatment locally, and immunomodulators are prescribed inside. It is important to observe the dosage and duration of treatment.

Alternative medicine

Folk remedies for nasal congestion without a runny nose can be used as an addition to the treatment prescribed by a doctor. But to use them separately is undesirable, as well as experimenting with health on your own. Treatment of nasal congestion without a cold with folk remedies can not be compared in effectiveness with synthetic drugs, and the root cause of breathing problems can not be eliminated. Home recipes only relieve the symptom for a short time. And their uncontrolled use can at times aggravate the situation.

Treatment of nasal congestion without a cold with folk remedies consists in using the following means:

1. Juice based on leaves of aloe or Kalanchoe. These plants have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects. Freshly squeezed juice from the leaves facilitates breathing, narrows the capillaries in the nose, stops the reproduction of pathogenic microbes and clears the clogged nose. Squeeze the juice, dilute it with water (1: 3), after which you can instill 3-4 drops several times a day.
2. Garlic. In this root crop there are many phytoncides and useful components that eliminate harmful microorganisms. You should take a clove, grind it and place it in a glass. The dishes are placed in a water bath, then a cardboard funnel is prepared. Cover the garlic with the wide side and inhale the vapors for 5 minutes through the narrow side.
3. Honey. This powerful anti-inflammatory product helps eliminate long-term nasal congestion. We need small cotton swabs that are dipped in liquid honey and kept in the nose for 15 minutes.
4. Beetroot and carrot composition. Grate 1 medium-sized fruit, squeeze the juice and instill it 3 times a day, a few drops. It is also allowed to breed in half with water.
5. Leaves of plantain. It will take 1 tbsp. raw materials to be poured (250 ml). The remedy must be infused. After cooling to 35-38 degrees, the composition can be used for instillation into the nose. It eliminates congestion from allergies or bacterial infections.

An excellent effect is provided by inhaling the vapors of essential oils of eucalyptus, fir, pine, mint, lavender. Stirring a few drops of ether in hot water is allowed. Breathe over the steam should be 10-15 minutes. Dry inhalation is allowed - a few drops are applied to a handkerchief or napkin, put on a table and inhale the vapors.

Probable complications

The list of negative consequences includes atrophic changes in the nasal mucosa. When the tissue is not able to perform its functions fully, this ensures easy penetration of infections through the nose. Due to an atrophic rhinitis, the nasopharynx will be defenseless against viruses, allergens and bacteria, which affects the frequency of colds and allergic reactions.

Another complication is a pathological change in the structure of the nasal concha. To compensate for the lack of air and increased load on the nostrils, the cavities will be wider, often a surgical method is required to solve this problem.

A complication of allergic rhinitis is the development of bronchial asthma, which is difficult to cure. Prolonged inflammation in the paranasal sinuses leads to meningitis, frequent tonsillitis, sinusitis and other inflammations, which eventually become chronic.

Output

Nasal congestion, which appeared for no apparent reason, can be an impetus for complications, which are not so easy to get rid of. If the nose is blocked only occasionally, but the sensation disappears after several rinsing or inhalation procedures, do not worry. You should panic when the respiratory function does not return for several weeks or months - in this case, you need to urgently go to the ENT doctor for an examination.