Anyone else have non allergenic, chronic rhinitis?

@ailsas
What is guafenesin?

@jenniferhunter
Appreciate all the info. I do try to keep scented products to a minimum.
The coffee interests me. Ill have to see if I can found out more about that. Thanks

I have had a chronic low grade rhinitis since I got scarlet fever at 15. Now 86. Maybe a very low grade infection. Try to avoid antibiotics because either resistant or problematical side effects. Have allergies but rhinitis is year round. So use a neti pot and take guafenesin when it gets too annoying.

@gillytrue My dad always had a runny nose later in life. I don't think it was allergies and he wasn't taking antihistamines. One condition that can be associated with asthma is having a low-grade infection in sinuses or lungs. I think I suffer from that along with allergies. I was diagnosed with eosinophilic or E - asthma. Periodically, I need to use an antibiotic ointment (Mupirocin) in my nose to clear this out. This came from a pre-surgery protocol to clear any staph infections in nasal passages, and it works for me, so my doctors give me a prescription. My symptoms are that my lungs build some phlegm as it tries to clean out any bacteria or irritants such as air pollution, smoke or fragrances. My lungs are pretty reactive. I also have some physical issues with muscle tightness in my chest because of having Thoracic Outlet Syndrome ( TOS ), so that kind of traps the phlegm. It needs to keep moving or it can progress into an infection. I notice when my resting heart rate goes up a little bit because of phlegm interfering with oxygen absorption. One of my dental providers says that asthma is caused by an infection, and she recommends drinking a specific coffee every day that helps combat the infection. I don't have details of how this is supposed to work. I do know that caffeine helps me clear phlegm when I drink coffee, but too much of that isn't great either.

Have you tried HEPA air filtration at home, or avoiding fragrances in cleaning products and detergents? I know this helps me. That is probably considered an irritant rather than an allergy.

First time I went to the allergy doctor: skin tests were all negative; non- allergenic rhinitis and asthma diagnosed immediately.

@gillytrue - I personally have allergic rhinitis along with asthma. I've heard of nonallergic rhinitis.

I also thought you might like to meet @jenniferhunter, who may have familiarity with your condition or otherwise have some thoughts for you.

Was this diagnosed easily for you, or was it a long road to getting it diagnosed?

I was diagnosed with non-allergenic chronic rhinitis about 10 years ago along with asthma. I struggle with symptoms because using usual OTC products don't help. I have never met anyone else with this diagnosis.

Hi, @gillytrue - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. As non-allergic, chronic rhinitis does not appear to be a clear, separate topic at this time and I thought it warranted it, I pulled your post into its own discussion.

This is how Mayo Clinic describes non-allergic rhinitis: Nonallergic rhinitis involves sneezing or a stuffy, drippy nose. It can be a long-term problem, and it has no clear cause. The symptoms are like those of hay fever, also called allergic rhinitis. But nonallergic rhinitis isn't caused by allergies. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nonallergic-rhinitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20351229

A few members who have talked about rhinitis, allergic or otherwise, include @jw9 @bride @jdbarr1 @cjblair @bee915 @nancif18131716 @johnhenson30. @nrd1 may also be familiar with this, as may be @sueinmn.

gillytrue - will you share more about your interest in non-allergic rhinitis? Is this something you have been diagnosed with? If so, will you share how you are preventing reactions?