Post-nasal drip
| Post-nasal drip | |
|---|---|
| Classification and external resources | |
| ICD-9 | 784.91 |
| eMedicine | ent/338 |
Post-nasal drip (PND), also known as Upper Airway Cough Syndrome (UACS), occurs when excessive mucus is produced by the nasal mucosa. The excess mucus accumulates in the throat or back of the nose. It is a symptom that may be associated with rhinitis, sinusitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), or by a disorder of swallowing (such as an esophageal motility disorder). It is frequently caused by allergy, which may be seasonal or persistent throughout the year.
Contents |
[edit] Associated conditions
PND may be a contributory cause for halitosis.[1]
[edit] Symptoms
An individual may be diagnosed as suffering from post-nasal drip if they suffer from the following symptoms:
- Coughing
- Wheezing (a more common source of wheezing than asthma)
- Constant swallowing
- Rhinorrhea, running nose due to mucus flow
- Frequent spitting
- Tickling in the throat
- Constant clearing of throat
- Rigid burning sensation at back of the throat
- Broken or cracking voice
- Mucus feeling in the back of the throat
- Difficulty in breathing
- Congestion in the nasal and sinus passages
- Chronic sore throat
- Masses formed in the crypts of the tonsils that are generally yellow or white (commonly called tonsil stones, or tonsilloliths)
- Halitosis (bad breath)
- Snorting to clear mucus from the nasal passage that cannot otherwise be cleared by blowing one's nose
- Cobblestone appearance of the oropharyngeal mucosa
- Frontal cranial pressure.
- Fatigue.
- Nausea
[edit] Treatment
First and foremost, as the causes are manifold, a removal of those causes should be aimed for. (e.g. in the case of acid reflux, treating the acid reflux would also cause the mucus to go away). Treatment may include antibiotics, decongestants, nasal irrigation, sinus massage, acid control medication, allergy medication, and/or minor surgery. Bulb syringes, squirt bottles, pulsatile nasal irrigators or neti pots[2] are often used for nasal irrigation. Allergy medications include antihistamines, decongestants, nasal steroids alone or in combination. Allergy injections may be used for long term relief when allergy is the cause. Oral steroids may be prescribed for short-term use in some situations.
[edit] References
- ^ Rosenberg, M (1996). "Clinical assessment of bad breath: current concepts". Journal of the American Dental Association 127 (4): 475–82. PMID 8655868.
- ^ While nasal irrigation is generally well-tolerated, at least two deaths from Naegleria fowleri have been reported from use of a neti pot. Naegleria fowleri present in unboiled or otherwise unsterilized water causes the fatal brain infection primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). Stobbe, Mike. "2 die of rare brain infection from amoeba in water in neti pot". Retrieved 18 August 2011; Associated Press. "Neti Pot Deaths Linked to Brain-Eating Amoeba in Tap Water". Retrieved 16 December 2011; Gizmodo.com. "Brain-Eating Amoeba In Tap Water Kills Two In Lousiana". Retrieved 16 December 2011; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Parasites - Naegleria". Retrieved 16 December 2011.
[edit] External links
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