Nasal congestion, persistent drainage, and dryness are common concerns in older adults and may be signs of geriatric rhinitis, a condition that can significantly affect daily comfort and breathing.
What Causes Geriatric Rhinitis?
The allergic form of rhinitis is caused by a reaction to various allergens. Elderly patients with symptoms such as repeated sneezing, watery eyes, nasal obstruction with a clear, watery runny nose, and soft, pale turbinates (finger-like structures in the nose that heat and moisten the air you breathe) may have allergic rhinitis. The most common triggers include pollen, mold, dust mites, pet dander, and cockroaches. Allergic reaction to these triggers is diagnosed either by skin prick or blood testing.
Like the allergic form of rhinitis, patients with non-allergic rhinitis may experience nasal congestion, a runny nose, and post-nasal drainage. However, these symptoms differ because they do not have an allergic (IgE) component. Non-allergic rhinitis is diagnosed based on the patient’s medical history and the exclusion of other causes. Symptoms can be triggered by changes in temperature, humidity, and exposure to irritating chemicals, smells, or certain medications.
Some older patients are unusually sensitive to environmental, seasonal, and/or physical irritants that don’t bother most people. This is a condition called vasomotor rhinitis, which refers to an overstimulation of the blood vessels (“vaso”) in the nose, causing periodic episodes of sneezing, watery drainage, and/or congestion.
Finally, the atrophic form of rhinitis is more common in older adults. A reduction of blood flow to the mucosal lining of the nasal cavity can cause the tissues of the nose to shrink and dry out, causing nasal congestion. This form of rhinitis is associated with nasal dryness, congestion, crusting, and a foul odor if there is an infection.
