Risky sniffles

Larissa Melville completed her traineeship in the editorial team of . After studying biology at Ludwig Maximilians University and the Technical University of Munich, she first got to know digital media online at Focus and then decided to learn medical journalism from scratch.

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Chronic runny nose is more than a nuisance - it also promotes strokes, obesity and depression. Nevertheless, it is often underestimated - even by doctors.

The nose is constantly dripping or constantly blocked. Nasal drops and handkerchiefs are constant companions. In addition, there is an uncomfortable feeling of pressure that spreads in the area around the nose. For more than ten percent of Germans, a cold is not just an annoying infection that plagues them for a few days - it becomes a permanent condition. You have chronic rhinosinusitis - a persistent inflammation of the lining of the nose and sinuses.

But even doctors often underestimate the frequency and consequences of the disease. Chronic runny nose favors further infections such as pneumonia. "Those affected also suffer significantly more often from lung diseases such as bronchial asthma and COPD, the so-called smoker's cough," says Dr. Achim Beule, senior physician at the clinic and polyclinic for ENT medicine, head and neck surgery at the University Medical Center Greifswald in conversation with

Sick from a runny nose

It seems more surprising that those affected have an increased risk of suffering a stroke. "Traditional risk factors for cardiovascular diseases such as smoking, obesity and untreated high blood pressure no longer adequately explain why a patient suffers a stroke," says Beule. Another important, but so far neglected cause could be chronic inflammation. “They seem to increase the risk of blood clots becoming blocked,” reports the ENT doctor. This is also due to the fact that patients with chronic sinusitis suffer more strokes.

Poor odor affects the mind

Why people with sinusitis are more likely to become overweight or suffer from depression is even more difficult to understand. It is conceivable that the chronically blocked nose and impaired smell and taste play a role. “In human development, smell is a very old sense that has a strong influence on emotional life. If it gets lost, the world becomes much less interesting, ”explains Beule. This could promote depression. And the cold itself and the need to constantly blow your nose could also have negative effects on the psyche.

The issue of obesity can also be explained by a lack of sense of smell and taste. Because if you taste less, you don't necessarily eat less: "Those affected try to compensate for the reduced intensity with" more "food," suggests Beule. And with that, obesity is inevitable. However, both hypotheses require further scientific investigation.

Seek help in good time

The expert advises people who simply cannot get rid of their cold to see an ENT doctor. This can determine the exact cause and also identify the various subtypes of chronic rhinosinusitis through an endoscopy of the nose. The aim is a therapy that is optimally tailored to the individual complaints. Yeasts can use inhalations, decongestant nasal drops and sprays, and cortisone to reduce inflammation. If bacteria are involved, antibiotics are another option.

Last resort surgery

Most patients get rid of the constant cold in this way. If this is not the case, surgery is an option. For example, polyps are removed to widen the nasal passages. In 2009 alone, more than 50,000 sinus surgeries were performed in Germany for chronic rhinosinusitis.

The causes of the annoying constant cold are often changes in the nose that interfere with adequate ventilation of the sinuses. These include curvatures of the nasal septum or nasal polyps. Other possible causes of sinusitis can be allergic swelling of the mucous membranes, cystic fibrosis or diseases of the immune system.

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