Medical history (history of illness) represents an important component in the diagnosis of rhinorrhea (runny nose).
Family history
- What is the general health of your relatives?
- Are there any diseases in your family that are common?
Social history
- What is your profession?
- Are you exposed to harmful working substances in your profession?
Current medical history/systemic medical history (somatic and psychological complaints).
- How long has the runny nose been present?
- What does the secretion look like?
- Clear
- Purulent
- Bloody
- Malodorous
- Are both nostrils affected?
- What additional symptoms have you noticed?
- Do you suffer from a stuffy nose more often?
- Do you have sneezing irritation?
- Do you have facial pain?
- Do you have a fever? If so, for how long? What is the temperature?
Vegetative anamnesis incl. nutritional anamnesis.
- Do you smoke? If yes, how many cigarettes, cigars or pipes per day?
- Do you drink alcohol more often? If yes, what drink(s) and how many glasses of it per day?
- Do you use drugs? If yes, which drugs and how often per day or per week?
Self history incl. medication history.
- Pre-existing conditions (infections, ENT diseases).
- Operations
- Radiotherapy
- Vaccination status
- Allergies
- Pregnancies
- Environmental history (chemical irritation from smoke or exhaust fumes).
Medication history
- Rhinitis medicamentosa – triggered by medications or active ingredients such as:
- Antihypertensives (e.g., captopril, enalapril).
- Antihistamines (eg, cetirizine).
- Alpha blockers (stimulation of α-receptors leading to vasoconstriction (vasoconstriction)).
- Decongestant nasal sprays or drops (α-sympathomimetics e.g. xylometazoline, oxymetazoline, naphazoline or phenylephrine).
- Calcium antagonists (calcium channel blockers).
- Psychotropic drugs (e.g., amitryptiline)
- Sympathomimetics (agents exist that act preferentially at α-receptors, at β-receptors, or at both types of receptors; those that also stimulate β-receptors induce vasodilation (vasodilatation)).
