Qingbitang Science Popularization: When spring comes, the nose becomes particularly itchy. What’s going on?

Every spring, my nose always itches uncontrollably, and every time I sneeze, I sneeze dozens or even twenty times. The most embarrassing time is when I’m on the subway or in a meeting.

For many people, the season of spring flowers blooming is a nightmare for patients with allergic rhinitis!

Allergic rhinitis is not an isolated, single disease. It is a manifestation of a systemic allergic reaction in one organ. As the allergic reaction recurs and progresses, it can cause disease in multiple organs throughout the body.

If there is no therapeutic intervention, the natural course of allergies is that the types of allergens increase, the symptoms become more severe, and more and more organs are damaged. Moreover, the allergic process is irreversible, and the damage caused is also irreversible.

Qingbitang: Why does rhinitis occur in spring?

1. The air is too dry

The weather is dry in spring, and our skin and nose usually react most obviously to it. However, most people try to hydrate and moisturize their skin but forget to take care of our fragile little noses.

There is less moisture in the air, less nasal secretions, dry nasal mucosa, and a tingling or foreign body sensation in the nose. Especially in the morning, the nose is dry and even tingling.

2. Pollen and catkins flying

All things are coming back to life, flowers are blooming, and in this month, catkins and poplar catkins are also flying all over the sky. It seems beautiful, right? When they fly into your nasal cavity and irritate your mucous membrane, they will cause an allergic reaction.

How powerful is the invisible and intangible pollen? At the mildest, it can cause nasal itching, sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, and difficulty breathing. At the worst, it can cause breathing difficulties and sudden asthma. Do you think you are scared?

3. Poor air diffusion conditions in spring

In the north, spring is the peak season for sandstorms and smog. The nasal cavity is the first to block external air and is also the primary target of attack.

The sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and inhalable particulate matter in haze can directly enter and adhere to the nasal mucosa and are not easy to be expelled. The harmful particles in them will irritate the nasal mucosa for a long time and cause nasal diseases such as rhinitis and sinusitis.

4. Resurrection of mites

In spring, not only do animals begin to wake up from hibernation, but the mites that always accompany us as we sleep also start to become active. They reproduce so fast that if you take a look at them under a microscope, you will never dare to sleep again.

Mites are strong allergens, and people with allergic constitutions have almost all been sensitized to mites.

Qingbitang: How to deal with allergic rhinitis?

1. Daily care is important

Because allergic diseases cannot be completely eradicated, how long the effects of each treatment can be maintained is closely related to daily care.

2. Necessary treatment is indispensable

If rhinitis is particularly severe, it is necessary to receive formal treatment. There are many clinical treatments for rhinitis. Since allergies are mainly caused by the combination of IgE and mast cells, a large amount of histamine and leukotrienes are released, thus causing sensitization. Therefore, traditional drug treatments are generally antihistamine and leukotrienes. However, traditional treatments cannot completely cure rhinitis.