Major Causes of Post Nasal Drip
Post nasal drip is a condition where there is a back flow of mucus to the throat. It is usually characterized by excess mucus produced by the sinuses and because they are in excess, the mucus accumulates at the back of the nose or the throat. Aside from dripping mucus at throat, other symptoms also include congestion and irritation. There are generally a lot of factors that can be considered as the causes of post nasal drip.
Among the many causes include nasal congestion, nasal polyp, hay fever, deviated septum, common colds, heartburns and runny nose. However, what are considered to be the major factors that cause post nasal drip include rhinitis, sinusitis, laryngopharyngeal acid reflux, swallowing disorders or any allergies that are either persistent throughout the whole year or seasonal. Pills for birth control were also proved to cause post nasal drip since they increase the levels of estrogen in the body.
Rhinitis, whether it is allergic or not is considered to be a cause of post nasal drip and it is characterized as the inflammation of mucus membranes; sinusitis, whether chronic or acute is defined as the inflammation of the sinuses while laryngopharyngeal acid reflux is the backward flow of gastric contents to the upper part of the digestive tract which may also include heartburn. On one hand, a particular example of a swallowing disorder is the esophageal motility disorder. The mentioned causes can be treated early on to prevent the occurrence of post nasal drip. It should be noted that if post nasal drip is untreated for a long time, it may cause build up of bacteria that cause bad breath, eventually letting you have bad smelling breath and you don’t want that to happen. If you are unsure of the main cause of your post nasal drip that you do not know how to start with treatment, consulting a doctor may be necessary.