Signs Your Nasal Congestion Is Actually Allergy Related

Ah, winter… the time of year for cold weather, shorter days, and many people looking forward to spring. It’s also a time when sinus problems become more prevalent, with the dry winter air drying out your nasal lining and making it easier for dust, allergens, and microorganisms to get inside and make things worse.

This makes conditions like nasal congestion much more likely for millions, but the symptom is frequently associated with many different viral and bacterial infections. Allergies can also cause similar signs, so how do you know which is which? Let’s find out more about the causes of this irritating problem, how allergies work, and separate one illness from the others.

The medical staff at Lake Grove ENT treats the Lake Oswego, Oregon, community for many conditions, including nasal congestion. 

Causes of nasal congestion

The swelling of blood vessels and tissue in your nasal cavity, which leads to stuffiness, pressure, postnasal drip, and other common signs of congestion, can stem from several possible illnesses. Viruses like the common cold and influenza (the flu), which often cause a range of other symptoms, are contagious and last only a limited time, often up to two weeks.

Less common causes of nasal congestion include a deviated septum, hormonal changes, vasomotor rhinitis, or nasal polyps. Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, can also cause this problem in children, with effects ranging from minor symptoms that go away on their own to hospitalization.

Facts about allergies

Allergies happen when your immune system overreacts to the presence of specific harmless substances called allergens, including pet dander (traces of skin cells and urine), mold, dust, pollen, ragweed, and many other things found in your home or outside your door. 

Reactions to these allergens include hives, rash, itching, watery eyes, and sinus problems, depending on the trigger. These reactions often last as long as you’re exposed to the trigger, and the reaction can start in a short period ot time or take hours.

Confusion with other sinus problems

Significant overlap exists between allergic reactions and several viral and bacterial infections, but not all the symptoms are the same, so there are ways to distinguish between them. Sinus infections from other illnesses often cause nasal congestion, headaches, eye pain, discolored nasal discharge, and, in some cases, fever, tooth pain, and halitosis (bad breath).

Allergies do have headaches and nasal congestion as symptoms, but not the other ones mentioned. In addition, allergic reactions often cause sneezing, itchiness, and watery eyes, which most other conditions don’t.

These illnesses are frustrating regardless of which one you have, but allergies aren’t contagious, do present with different symptoms, and can be treated. Schedule an appointment with the medical team at Lake Grove ENT today to relieve your nasal congestion.