Acid Reflux and Post Nasal Drip
All about Acid Reflux and Post Nasal Drip
Post nasal drip imposes life threatening situations to affected patients. Especially when post nasal drip was accompanied by the presence of acid reflux, the effects to a person will be intense and fatal. Learn more about the acid reflux and post nasal drip with the help of this write up.
Acid reflux is directly related to the occurrence of post nasal drip. Particularly, this serves as one of the main causes why an affected individual experiences the discomfort in terms of breathing difficulty.
What is Post Nasal Drip?
The term post nasal drip is called as such because of the presence of the runny nose sensation that flows backward in the direction towards your throat. The primary cause of this condition is excessive accumulation of mucus that flows at the back of the nose as well as throat. When post nasal drip is present, those people who are affected may feel alteration with their ability to breath. In worse cases, there are some who will find it hard to breathe. The reason why there is excessive production of mucus is maybe due to other ailments like:
- Allergies
- Rhinitis
- Sinusitis
- Other Throat Infections
- Gasrtroesophageal Reflux or Acid Reflux
What is Acid Reflux?
Acid reflux is also called as Gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD. From the name itself, this causes regurgitation of the gastric contents due to incompetent cardiac sphincter. More specifically, this is caused by the change in the barrier that is located between the esophagus and stomach. Moreover, this also includes lower esophageal sphincter relaxation that aids on the expulsion of the gastric contents to the stomach premises. The pathognomonic sign of this condition is burning sensation or heartburn. In severe cases, this can cause post nasal drip to the compromised individual.
Connection of Acid Reflux to Post Nasal Drip
As mentioned earlier, acid reflux is one of the major causes of post nasal drip. When the acid comes out of the stomach premises via incompetent lower esophageal sphincter or cardiac sphincter, it has a great chance of reaching the linings of your nasal mucosa. Since the gastric contents are typically acidic in nature, it will cause irritation to the cells in your nasal mucosa. When this part of your upper respiratory system is irritated, it can cause increase in its production of mucus. This leads to mucus accumulation in your upper respiratory airways. In severe cases, the accumulation of excessive mucus can cause difficulty of breathing and may require immediate medical intervention.
Treatment of the Post Nasal Drip
It is important that you utilize immediate treatment for cases of post nasal drip associated with acid reflux. The course of treatment at this moment is the prevention of acid reflux first. This can be done by means of ingesting antacids. These are the drugs that will help neutralize or lessen the acidity of your gastric contents. Apart from that, removal of excessive mucus must also be done. Suctioning via suction apparatus can be done immediately.
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