Therapy for “stuffy nose” is based on the underlying disease (see differential diagnoses below).
General measures
- For dry nose and verborkungen in the nose → care of the nose with nasal ointments and nasal rinses (two to three times a day)On the subject of nasal irrigation see below “Nasal irrigation”.
Drug therapy
Note: Regular use of decongestant nasal drops/nasal spray can lead to chronic nasal congestion (rhinitis medicamentosa). Therefore, it is necessary that decongestant nasal drops are not used in cases of chronic obstructed nasal breathing!
In chronic (obstructive) rhinosinusitis (CRS), nasal rinsing with topical steroids (glucocorticoids) is performed after exclusion of e.g. allergies in the mild form of CRS. For further therapeutic measures see below the disease “sinusitis“.
In the case of allergic rhinitis, the avoidance of triggering allergens is of primary importance. For further therapeutic measures, see below the disease “Allergic rhinitis”.
Surgical therapy
If conservative therapy fails, surgery or laser therapy may be required. For this purpose, the exact cause must be determined beforehand in any case.
Note: Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS), as well as conchal surgery, aims to maximally spare the mucosa while immediately preserving nasal function.