Common symptoms of allergic and non-allergic rhinitis include a blocked nose, a runny nose (with watery discharge), an itchy nose and sneezing. Other less common symptoms include a loss of smell, an itchy throat, face pain, headache and itchy, watery and red eyes. Rhinitis usually affects both nostrils.
Rhinitis is most commonly caused by a cold or hay fever. However, persistent rhinitis is where the symptoms do not disappear and become long-term. Sometimes the symptoms can be severe which may cause sleeping problems and interfere with day to day living, at which point you should speak to your GP about rhinitis treatment.
Non-allergic and allergic rhinitis symptoms include:
- Blocked and runny and nose
- Sneezing
- Itching, watery eyes
- Persistent symptoms may cause sleep problems and interfere with daily activities
Rarely, non-allergic rhinitis also causes a crust to develop inside the nose, which may be foul-smelling and cause bleeding if it’s removed.