Why does reflux cause nasal congestion

LPR causes certain changes in the throat that can be seen on fiberoptic laryngoscopy. With medication, most patients will begin to notice some relief in their symptoms in about six weeks.

However, it is generally recommended that the medication be continued for several months. If the symptoms completely resolve, then you can start tapering off the medication.

Some people will be symptom free without the medication, while others may have relapses which require resuming treatment. Surgery to prevent reflux is rarely needed. Diet modifications and current medications have allowed LPR to be treated without surgery most of the time. If surgery is needed, it involves tightening the muscle at the top of the stomach to prevent the reflux from happening.

This is done by a general surgeon in consultation with a gastroenterologist. Sinus polyps are due to excessive swelling of the lining inside the nose that leads to grape-like growths of sinus membranes that can block a portion of the sinuses or all the sinuses and nasal passages.

The severity of symptoms depends on the size and location of the polyps. Sometimes they are diagnosed while evaluating a patient for other chronic sinus problems, or other times they're the primary reason why a patient comes in to be seen. Sometimes the diagnosis of sinusitis can be overlooked or delayed because symptoms of a chronic sinus infection can also indicate many other health problems.

Some of these conditions include:. One of the more common causes of sinus problems that people don't really think about is dental problems.

A bad tooth or cracked tooth or sometimes just the smallest bit of infection at the tip of a tooth can lead to a sinus infection. These types of sinus infections typically don't respond to the antibiotics that you would give a person for a sinus infection because those antibiotics are not very effective at treating dental bacteria.

Sometimes there's evidence on a CT scan of the sinuses that there's a dental problem; other times it's a little more difficult to diagnose. Fortunately, some of our methods for sampling bacteria are very effective at detecting dental bacteria. When a result shows a predominance of dental bacteria from a sinus culture, there's a good probability that there's an existing dental problem. Patients with an immune deficiency are very aware that they are prone to sinus infections, while other patients who are on biologic agents for rheumatoid arthritis, etc.

All of these are taken into account when assessing the causes of sinus infection. Monday am - pm Tuesday am - pm Wednesday am - pm Thursday am - pm Friday am - pm Saturday Closed Sunday Closed. Common Sinus Related Problems. Deviated Septum The septum is the bone and cartilage that form a dividing line in the middle of your nose, separating the right and left sides.

Treatment for Deviated Septum A deviated septum is treated by a surgical procedure called a septoplasty. Nasal Congestion A lot of people use this term to describe a lot of different symptoms, but it's mostly used to describe difficulty breathing through your nose.

Nasal Obstruction Nasal congestion or a stuffy nose, is one of the most common complaints we see in our office. Treatment for Nasal Congestion and Obstruction There is good news for patients with sinus polyps. Runny Nose There are two distinct types of runny nose — watery drainage out the front of your nose and the thick heavy drainage down the back of your throat. Treatment for Runny Nose Treatment is sometimes successful with oral medications, antihistamine nasal sprays or nasal sprays which act as drying agents.

Sinus Headaches "Sinus headaches" mean a lot of things to different people. Treatment for Sinus Headaches The medical treatment for sinus headaches is to eliminate or control whatever is causing inflammation in the sinuses such as allergies and recurrent infections.

Post Nasal Drainage Mucus is usually swallowed throughout the day without you ever even knowing. Silent Reflux Many of our patients experience post nasal drainage due to laryngopharyngeal reflux also called LPR or silent reflux. Diagnosing Reflux Laryngopharyngeal reflux can usually be diagnosed by taking a good history and doing a fiberoptic laryngoscopy.

Treatment for Silent Reflux With medication, most patients will begin to notice some relief in their symptoms in about six weeks. Nasal Polyps Sinus polyps are due to excessive swelling of the lining inside the nose that leads to grape-like growths of sinus membranes that can block a portion of the sinuses or all the sinuses and nasal passages. Treatment of Nasal Polyps There is good news for patients with sinus polyps.

Runny Nose more info. Allergies more info. Septic Deviation more info. Balloon Sinuplasty more info. Sinus Headaches more info. Symptoms include facial pain, headaches, nasal drainage, cough, postnasal drip, bad breath, upper jaw pain, sore throat, sensitive eyes, swelling of the eyelids, general fatigue, and fever.

Even after treatment of a sinus infection, inflammation can persist. Chronic sinusitis refers to inflammation of the sinuses that continues for at least a few weeks, but often continues for months or even years. Sinusitis is more prevalent that arthritis or hypertension. Americans make , emergency department visits annually due to sinusitis. Chronic sinusitis resulted in approximately 13 to 18 million physician visits in The health impact of sinusitis on bodily pain and social functioning has been noted to be worse than that of congestive heart failure, angina, or back pain.

Treatment options vary, and are personalized to your particular anatomy, history and the nature of your problem. Recent technology has made these treatments more effective, safer, and more comfortable than ever before.

GERD Telemedicine available now. Becker, MD, and Medically Reviewed by:. Same day and evening appointments available. All Rights Reserved. Privacy opens in a new tab. HIPAA opens in a new tab. Sitemap opens in a new tab. What is GERD? GERD symptoms Common esophageal symptoms of GERD include repeated bouts of heartburn, difficulty swallowing , hoarseness, lump-in-the-throat sensation, chronic cough and throat clearing, and mucus build-up in the throat.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD. Table of Contents. What causes GERD? How do you diagnose GERD? Are there any diagnostic tests? How is GERD managed? Tell me about life style and dietary changes. Tell me about dietary modifications. Tell me about medical treatment for GERD. Why Choose Our Specialists? Tell me about surgical treatment of GERD. Book Your Consultation Today Improve the quality of your life. Laurel, NJ.

Area of Concern. Less food in the stomach at a time will lead to less reflux. Try not to eat anything for 3 hours before bedtime because reflux is often worse when we lie down. Weight loss often results in significant reduction of reflux symptoms. Avoid tight fitting clothing. Medication: Your doctor may also recommend medications that you can buy over the counter or may give you a prescription for a medication. While you go about your normal activities, it measures when and how much acid refluxes into your esophagus.

Manometry can also be performed using the same probe. This detects pressure changes and is a more sensitive technique than measuring pH alone. Barium swallow: You drink a solution and then several x-rays are taken to help spot abnormalities such as a hiatal hernia or narrowing of the esophagus.

Upper endoscopy: The doctor will spray your throat to numb it and then slide down a thin, flexible tube called an endoscope. A tiny camera in the endoscope allows the doctor to see the esophagus and to look for abnormalities. Nasal endoscopy: Many ENT doctors will apply a topical nasal decongestant and numbing medicine to the lining of the nose by a nasal spray prior to endoscopy.

Often, the examination can be completed without any special medicines at all. A rigid or flexible scope may be used to see around corners - much like a child's toy periscope.

Nasal endoscopy provides a detailed examination of the nasal cavity, sinuses, and voice box.