Post-St. Patrick's Day issues could be caused by acid reflux from food, allergic rhinitis or worsening seasonal allergies. | StockSnap/Pixabay
Post-St. Patrick's Day issues could be caused by acid reflux from food, allergic rhinitis or worsening seasonal allergies. | StockSnap/Pixabay
If you like to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a few adult beverages and notice your sinus issues become worse afterward, it's likely the root cause could fall into one of three medical explanations.
These post-St. Patrick's Day issues could be caused by acid reflux from food, allergic rhinitis or worsening seasonal allergies.
"Typically, people with chronic rhinosinusitis have an aspect of allergic rhinitis on top of it," Dr. Michael Foster, a doctor of osteopathy at the Michigan Sinus Center, said. So, those patients that are allergic will have pretty significant Eustachian tube dysfunction as well."
A study published in BMC Pulmonary Medicine last year confirmed there was a connection between acid reflux and nasal issues. Alcohol-induced nasal symptoms seem to be associated with allergic rhinitis, according to an article in Science Direct. The American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology reported that although spring allergies typically begin in February, true spring is just days away from St. Patrick's Day on March 17. All of these can trigger sinusitis which can lead to nasal obstructions.
"If you can treat the sinuses, treat the nose and improve that environment improves your sleep, improves your quality of life, improves your day to day. Not to mention also folks that have significant asthma typically have significant allergic rhinitis," Foster said. "So, treating the allergies from above can help improve the lungs from asthma and that's particularly useful for kids."
Foster said it's important to determine what's causing the sinus issue.
"The best is to determine whether or not that inflammation is bacterial, viral or allergic with a good EMG exam and history and testing and then address the problem, whether it's allergy therapy, or it's sinus procedures or it's sinus resonance or all of the above," Foster said.
He added that every patient is different so the source of the problem needs to be addressed instead of "throwing a bandaid on it."
Patients are encouraged to establish the severity of their sinus symptoms.
It can be determined by taking an online quiz.
Alerts Sign-up