Find out how intranasal steroid sprays work. Click here to find out more information:
Hello i’m dr. mitchell grayson professor and chief of the division of allergy and immunology department of pediatrics at nationwide children’s hospital and the ohio state university a fellow of the american academy of allergy asthma and immunology and a board-certified allergist so you’ve been suffering from allergies runny nose sneezing congestion and maybe even
Itchy eyes and you’ve been told to try a nasal steroid this is probably good advice but how do nasal steroids work first i’d like to explain a little bit about what goes on in your nose when you are having an allergic attack when you breathe in something against which you are allergic let’s say ragweed pollen the pollen will break down into small proteins along the
Lining of your nose the proteins will then be able to buy in a specific protein called immunoglobulin e or ige which is found on the mast cells in the nose tissue this leads to activation of these mast cells an immediate release of various mediators including histamine over a few hours after the exposure to ragweed these same cells will produce additional mediators
Such as cytokines and chemokines these mediators will lead to accumulation of additional immune cells which will continue to produce more cytokines and chemokines the overall result of all of this inflammation is increased congestion which is swelling of the nasal tissue as well as increased mucus or snot production through irritation of the nerves you could have
Itching and sneezing as well now a nasal steroid allows for the delivery of a medicine called a cortical steroid directly to the tissues lining the nose or what we call the nasal mucosa steroids do not prevent the release of histamine from mast cells or the result of histamine binding to its receptor that would be an antihistamine however they do have the ability to
Turn off the production of the cytokines and chemokines in immune cells what this means is that the release of mediators later in the immune response can be inhibited this will prevent accumulation of additional cells and the inflammation that is associated with allergic triggers this leads to reduce swelling itching lukis production and sneezing however because it
Takes a while for the steroids to have an effect the results are not immediate in fact nasal steroids usually take about one to two weeks of constant use before their effects are noticeable similarly if you stop a nasal steroid it will likely be a week or so before your symptoms recur because the duct in the corner of your eye or the nasolacrimal duct drains through
The nasal mucosa nasal steroids can also relieve itching and tearing due to allergies nasal steroids do have some side effects but because the amount of steward being delivered is small and is localized in the nasal tissue there really is not a major concern of whole body side effects the major side effect of nasal steroids are nosebleeds this is often due to the
Nasal steroid spray hitting the same spot on the inside of the nose leading to thinning of the nasal tissue and then bleeding if this does occur let your care provider know that it has happened usually you’ll be instructed to stop the nasal steroid for several days during which time you could use salt water sprays if needed then when the nose is healed you could
Restart your nasal steroid but with the understanding that you need to make sure the spray doesn’t hit the same spot in the nose every time so now you understand why we use nasal steroids to control allergic inflammation in the nose and why you should use them as prescribed so that they are most effective in controlling your symptoms in general most nasal steroids
Are equivalent in how they work but there are different formulations some include an antihistamine with the nasal steroid some are dry sprays while others are liquid with or without an added scent to see a list of the types of nasal steroids sprays available i encourage you to visit the url shown at the end of the video so if you have allergies remember that your
Local allergist is trained in diagnosing and treating allergies and asthma he or she has the expertise and the know-how to make your allergy symptoms much less of a burden and can provide you with instructions on the best nasal steroid and other medications to take to prevent your allergies from bothering you there is no reason to suffer from allergies go see an allergist today you
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How do intranasal steroid sprays work? By 4AI4YOU