East DFW News

St. Patrick's Day celebrations can add allergic reactions on top of an already existing sinus condition, Dr. Michael Foster of Michigan ENT & Allergy Specialists said.

"Typically, people with chronic rhinosinusitis have an aspect of allergic rhinitis on top of it," Foster said. "So those patients that are allergic will have pretty significant eustachian tube dysfunction as well."

Physicians have identified three specific reasons why sinus conditions worsen after St. Patrick's Day celebrations.

First, all that rich food and drink can aggravate an acid reflux condition. A study published about a year ago in BMC Pulmonary Medicine found a connection between acid reflux and nasal issues.

Second, alcohol-induced nasal symptoms have long been associated with allergic rhinitis. That association was part of a study published in 2005 in ScienceDirect of almost 12,000 subjects, aiming to find the prevalence of alcohol-induced nasal symptoms. That study found that wine was the most frequent trigger of alcohol-induced nasal symptoms, with 83% of the subjects reporting symptoms after drinking red wine and 31% after white wine. The same study found nasal blockage to be the most prominent symptom with sneezing, nasal discharge and lower airway symptoms occurring after imbibing in alcoholic beverages.

Third, worsening sinus conditions after St. Patrick's Day celebrations may not be caused by those celebrations so much as the season. The first day of spring this year is March 20, just a few days after St. Patrick's Day, which means spring allergies may be to blame for worsening sinus conditions. The American College of Allergy, Asthmas and Immunology reports that seasonal allergy triggers can include tree, grass and ragweed pollens, as well as mold and windborne allergens.

All three of these St. Patrick's Day realities can trigger sinusitis, leading to nasal obstructions.

"You get a nasal obstruction, you start affecting sleep, you start causing snoring and sleep apnea, which we know has nefarious consequences in regards to cardiovascular health, and libido, and mood and all these things," Foster said. "And then the sinus issues with generalized inflammation within the body, whether it's allergies, you have GI issues, you have migraines, you have mood issues, moving on."

Getting treatment for sinuses conditions can improve all of those symptoms and lead to a better quality of life, Foster said.

"Not to mention also folks that have significant asthma typically have significant allergic rhinitis," he said. "So, treating the allergies from above can help improve the lungs from asthma and that's particularly useful for kids."

Chronic sinus problems often are caused by infections that destroy sinus openings following nasal mucosa inflammation, Foster said. He also cautioned that each patient is different.

"The best is to determine whether or not that inflammation is bacterial, viral or allergic with a good EMG exam and history and testing and then address the problem, whether it's allergy therapy, or it's sinus procedures or it's sinus resonance or all the above together," he said. "Every patient is different and you've got to address the problem at the source and not just keep throwing a Band-Aid on it."