Introduction
Mostly a cold (rhinitis) begins, in which it causes a burning and/or tickling in the nose. Mostly, with a beginning cold, pressure pain in the head, shivering and sneezing irritation are added. A little later, in the next phase, the rhinitis is characterized by a clear, very watery secretion, which is excreted through the nose.
In some people, the eyes also begin to water and redden. An equally important feature is the redness and swelling of the nasal mucosa. This causes the characteristic congested nose.
In the final phase, the secretion then becomes yellow and very thick. Because of the stuffy nose, most people, in the period when they are suffering from rhinitis, lack all or some of their sense of taste and smell. Rhinitis can occur on its own or as a companion during a flu or flu-like infection/cold.
As soon as earache or severe pain in the forehead is added, one should urgently consult one’s family doctor. Likewise, if the complaints do not stop. One knows about 200 different viruses that cause rhinitis.
All these viruses are transmitted by droplet infection directly from a sick person to the people around them. Droplet infection means that the viruses are transmitted by sneezing or speaking of the sick person. Since the nasal mucous membrane is damaged in winter by the dry heating air, viruses can nestle here.
In addition, hypothermia also contributes greatly to the development of rhinitis. Often the rhinitis subsides after a few days without requiring special treatment. In unfavorable cases, however, the viruses can spread from the nasal mucosa to the pharyngeal mucosa, the throat, the bronchial tubes, the frontal and sinus cavities and via the naso-ear canal into the auditory canal.
Due to the fact that the secretion can run off very badly and that the nasal mucous membrane is damaged by the viruses, bacteria can easily and multiply and can then very quickly cause an inflammation of the paranasal sinuses (sinusitis). A sinusitis often causes a feeling of pressure and pain in the sinuses. More dangerous is the spread of bacteria and viruses into the sinuses.
In small children, an inflammation of the middle ear, which is very painful, is often found as a result of rhinitis and the immigration of bacteria. In addition to the causes already mentioned, there are others, such as hay fever, as a result of an allergy, or exposure to irritating substances (chemicals), nasal polyps (benign growths of the nasal mucous membrane), drug-induced rhinitis due to the regular use of nasal drops, chronic dry rhinitis, which usually occurs in smokers, or in people who always breathe through the mouth or are confronted with a lot of dust and smoke at work. In old age, some people also develop a cold, which is caused by a dilation of the blood vessels.
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