Are you worried about your Rhinorrhea?
Everybody will experience cold and flu at some point in their lives, it will likely make you feel run down and lethargic and you may experience a variety of symptoms in addition to a runny nose, such as, a blocked nose, sore throat, headaches, muscle aches, coughing, sneezing or earache, even loss of taste and smell. While the symptoms for adults and children are the same, it may be harder for children to cope, and it is possible that these symptoms may take longer to pass.
The two most common possibilities for a runny nose, allergy and cold or flu, are easily treated or managed at home. You are likely suffering from an allergy, particularly if your runny nose is accompanied by sneezing and itchy, red, or watery eyes, which can be treated with widely available anti-allergy medications. Whereas, a mild cold or flu, while unpleasant to experience, will likely clear up on its own within a few weeks. Look at the list below for some helpful advice that might help to alleviate some of the symptoms you are experiencing.
Allergies
- Try to regularly clear the fluid or blockage from your nose
- Avoid known allergens or irritants where possible
- Take over the counter, antihistamine medications if necessary
- Try nasal sprays
Cold or flu
- It may help to use a small suction bulb to remove blockages from a child’s nose if they are unable or too young to do this independently
- Drink plenty of water and take over the counter medications, like paracetamol or ibuprofen, to relieve pain or fever
- Rinse your mouth and throat with a mild saltwater solution (Only suitable for adults) or try lozenges
- Decongestion sprays or tablets could help if you are also suffering from congestion (Only suitable for adults)
While unlikely, on occasion, a runny nose may be a symptom of a condition such as nasal polyps, a foreign body lodged in the nasal cavity or on rare occasions even a tumour, it should also be taken seriously in babies and children as well as those who are immunocompromised due to a pre-existing medical conditions or chemotherapy treatment. If you are worried about it or experience any of the following symptoms please contact a doctor for a consultation.
- If you experience symptoms for more than 10 days
- If the nasal discharge is yellow or green in colour and accompanied by fever or pain in your sinuses or ear, as this could be a sign of a more serious infection
- If your runny nose is accompanied by a very high fever
- If you have recently suffered a head injury and have clear fluid coming from your nose
- If a child younger than 2 months has a runny nose accompanied by a fever
- If the runny nose is affecting your breathing or a child’s ability to nurse
- If you have a long-term medical condition such as diabetes, heart, lung, or kidney diseases
- If you are immunocompromised
Here at VIDA we have expert clinicians on hand to help diagnose and treat your condition. To find out more about these services, we recommend visiting the following pages:
- Acute sinusitis
- Allergies
- Chronic sinusitis
- Churg-Strauss syndrome
- Common cold
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
- Decongestant nasal spray overuse
- Deviated septum
- Dry air
- Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener's granulomatosis)
- Hormonal changes
- Influenza (flu)
- Lodged object
- Medicines
- Nasal polyps
- Nonallergic rhinitis
- Occupational asthma
- Pregnancy
- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
- Spinal fluid leak
- Tobacco smoke