Why do allergies cause nasal obstruction?
Nasal allergies result from the lining of the nose being over-reactive to substances in the environment, such as dust for example. When a patient who is allergic to dust encounters a dusty environment, the lining of the nose on the inside swells and produces watery secretions. This swelling inside the nose takes up much of the space which is normally available for breathing and makes the passageways for airflow much smaller. This is the cause of nasal obstruction for this particular patient. Treatment can be directed at reducing this hyperactivity of the nasal lining in order to improve this type of nasal obstruction.
