Nighttime Breathing Problems Not Necessarily Associated With Allergies

Snoring and daytime sleepiness are not associated with allergic rhinitis, but are associated with obstructed nasal passages, regardless of an individual’s allergic status, according to an article.

One persistent symptom of allergic rhinitis, a runny nose due to allergies, is nasal obstruction.

The authors of the article point out that the resulting obstructed breathing can cause complications.

“People with nasal obstruction often experience other symptoms, including headache, thirst, lack of concentration, daytime cognitive deficits, daytime sleepiness and disturbed sleep, which impair their daily and social activities,” they write.

“There has been growing awareness that the morbidity [illness] of allergic rhinitis in the general population is increasing and is leading to a decline in school and work performance, resulting not only in a medical economic loss but also in a large social economic loss.”

In order to explore the relationship between nasal obstruction, snoring, and excessive daytime sleepiness with the presence or absence of allergies, Nobuaki Hiraki, M.D., and colleagues at the University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan, analyzed a survey distributed to 1,878 workers, 78% (1,459) of whom responded with sufficient information to perform the analysis.

Read more at Medical News Today