Atrophic rhinitis is a type of inflammation that causes destructive changes in the nasal passages. By identifying the problem early and establishing a treatment plan you can help manage the symptoms and reduce worsening of problems.

Decrease Risk Factors

One underlying cause of atrophic rhinitis can be excessive removal of tissue during surgical treatments to help with chronic sinusitis. Although this complication is uncommon, expressing your concern to your doctor before sinus surgery can help. You may find it is better for your surgeon to be more conservative in the amount of tissue they remove during the procedure. This can give you the opportunity to have a small amount of tissue removed and determine if your chronic sinus problems improve before having additional tissue removed. Other risk factors can include poorly-managed upper respiratory inflammation and repeated sinus infections. Most incidences of atrophic rhinitis have no known underlying cause.

Identify Key Symptoms

With atrophic rhinitis, there is atrophy of the mucous membranes inside the nasal passages. You may frequently experience signs of irritation, such as sneezing and stuffiness, but a runny nose may not always occur. Since the mucous secreting tissues have atrophied, there is no longer the regular production of mucous to help clear your nasal passages of irritants or microbes. As the tissue atrophies, it will crust over, which can cause significant nose bleeds if the crusts fall off. Since there is significant wasting of tissue within the nasal passages, an offensive odor eventually develops that can be detected by those around them. The odor is caused by subsequent infection of the affected tissues. In some people with significant atrophic rhinitis, the underlying bone and cartilage may also decrease causing changes in the nose structure.

Start Treatment Promptly

When you begin to notice problems, it is important to obtain an accurate diagnosis quickly to help manage the symptoms. For atrophic rhinitis, keeping the nasal passages lubricated and preventing infection are common approaches for managing the condition. Your doctor, someone at a place like Northwest Asthma & Allergy Center PS, may prescribe a nasal mist and/or nasal irrigation. Since both contain isotonic saline, they can temporarily increase moisture in your nasal passage. Moisture is also important to help flush out bacteria and allergens that can lead to additional nasal irritation or significant infections. A combination of glycerin and glucose may be applied to the nasal passages to help prevent microbe growth, thereby reducing odor.

Atrophic rhinitis is an uncommon problem that may be difficult to identify in the early stages. With prompt recognition of symptoms and early treatment, you can reduce the likelihood of significant damage to your nasal passages.