Cold can get worse by blowing nose
POSTED February 12, 2009 - 16:20 | POSTED BY Neharika Sabharwal
Last edited by Shikha Patial on February 12, 2009 - 17:10
Virginia, February 9: Wipe! Don't blow your nose, caution researchers. According to a new study, by blowing your nose you can clog your sinuses with germ-laden mucus, potentially increasing the severity of a cold and risk of bacterial infection.
In a meeting sponsored by the American Society of Microbiology, the researchers said, “Nose blowing is the mechanism by which nasal fluid is propelled into the sinusdefine.”
The new findings come from a collaborative study done at the Dr. J. Owen Hendley and other pediatric infectious disease researchers at the University of Virginia. The researchers studied volunteers who had a cold.
As a part of the study, they measured the pressure in their sinuses and checked to see how much mucus was up in there. Putting a special imaging dye into the noses of the participants, they were asked to blow. Thereafter, the researchers did a CTdefine scan of their sinuses. The dye appeared in the sinuses of all the volunteers who blew their noses for the tests.
The study demonstrated that nose blowing produced pressure in the nose similar to diastolic blood pressure. Such pressure is capable of propelling nasal mucus into the sinuses. CT scans had confirmed the deposits in the sinuses after the blow, whereas sneezing and coughing (which produce a much lower pressure) showed no similar deposits in the sinuses.
Dr. Hendley said it was unclear whether this was harmful, but added that during sickness it could aggravate viruses or bacteria and possibly cause further infection.
Dr. Anil Kumar Lalwani, chairman of the department of otolaryngology at the New York University, believes the proper method is to blow one nostril at a time and to take decongestants. This prevents a buildup of excess pressure.
According to the researchers, this means there is a potential risk in nose blowing as it can introduce nasal secretions into the sinuses. During colds, nasal secretions contain virus and bacteria, as well as inflammatory mediators.
The study provides new information on the mechanisms behind sinusitis and highlights new treatments of colds. Dr Hendley states that there should be treatment that reduces nasal fluid production to help prevent spread of the cold to the sinuses.
Previous studies have indicated that adults, who have colds, blow their noses on 45 times a day on an average for first three days. Dr Hendley’s team suggested using over-the-counter medications as early as possible in a cold to dry up the mucus.
