Doctor Issues Warning Over Rhinitis
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Your nose does more than just smell.
It inhales air, then filters germs, bacteria, viruses and more with its nostrils and mucous. It also screens out large particles from entering the lungs.
The nose also has a temperature control function that warms and humidifies the whole area with the inhaled air. Moreover, it helps one speak ― squeeze it and try to talk. It's hard to articulate words.
When one catches a cold, the nose usually senses the disease first and sneezes, secreting nasal discharge. The organ is very sensitive and vulnerable.
Rhinitis is one of its most common disorders. The nasal area swells due to allergens or other stimulating factors, and inflammation takes place.
It becomes hard to breathe. Rhinitis, in some cases, develops into sinusitis, which usually requires surgery.
With non-allergic rhinitis affecting about 13 percent of the population here and the number of those suffering from allergic rhinitis increasing every year due to environmental, dietary and hygiene factors, Dr. Dhong Hun-jong of Samsung Medical Center says that the condition warrants attention.
"Rhinitis can be quite bothersome because you keep sneezing all day long. Sometimes, you get a so-called sneezing attack, which can be dangerous while driving or doing important things. It makes the nose quite itchy," Dhong said.
According to the National Health Insurance Corporation, 4.4 million people here suffer allergic rhinitis.
It also can affect the lungs. When one tries to breathe with his or her mouth instead of the swollen nose, unscreened air, containing potential pollutants, allergens, viruses or others, can pass down the throat to the lungs. This increases the chances of suffering from a sore throat or other various diseases.
Rhinitis also affects more than just the nose, throat and lungs. It is associated with sleeping problems, ear conditions and even learning problems.
Dhong advised that those who have a runny nose or yellowish mucous for more than two weeks should get examined at the nearest clinic.
If a headache persists and one starts to feel some polyps in the nostrils, the most common diagnosis is a sinus infection.
"In the worst cases, your face feels bloated and you can't smell a thing," Dhong said.
The first treatment is medication. Patients are given various drugs to block the action of allergic mediators or to prevent the activation of cells and degranulation processes.
Drugs such as antihistamines, cortisone, dexamethasone, hydrocortisone, epinephrine (adrenaline), theophylline and cromolyn sodium can be used as well. In this way, allergic rhinitis and other mild rhinitides can be treated, or at least controlled to a certain point.
Dhong recommends surgery for those suffering from severe sinus infection and in more serious condition.
The process involves using an endoscope to get a clear image, cutting out some swollen flesh around the mucosa and burning it with a laser. The burnt area will contract and enable the nose to inhale air again.
"In the past, doctors used to wear a light on their forehead to look into the area, which was less accurate and safe," the doctor said.
Dhong treats hundreds of patients a year with endoscopic procedures nowadays. However, he says Korea still has a ways to go to catch up with some of the leading countries in the world, such as the U.S. and Japan.
He is willing to adopt a navigation system for use during surgery to ensure greater safety. He also seeks to introduce tourniquets that melt down to the flesh as time passes so that the wounds don't have to be opened to take the bandage off.
These items aren't covered by the national health insurance system here and are banned from usage in operating rooms because of their high price.
Dhong is working on defining the relationship between asthma and rhinitis. "We found that a noticeable number of people suffering from asthma who undergo surgery to treat rhinitis have unsuccessful results. We suspect that it is the united airway ― the large airway that goes through the brain, nose, mouth, throat and lungs ― that connects the two ailments together," he said.