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Chronic Rhinitis, Nasal Drip, Thick Mucus, Palpitations. Related?

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Posted on Fri, 5 Oct 2012
Question: Suffer from chronic rhinitis and really bad thick mucus nasal drip onto chest. Last 2 days had very frequent heart flutter/palpitations. Suffer from panic attacks when things don't feel right. Are the palpitations to do with the mucus on my chest or something else.
Had lots of allergy tests and a CT scan on nose. All clear. Use Loratadine and Nasonex
doctor
Answered by Dr. Michelle Gibson James (1 hour later)
Hi

Palpitations can be due to a number of different factors such as:anemia (low blood count), fever, high levels of thyroid hormone,panic disorders,low blood sugar,heart failure,anxiety(only diagnosed after everything else is ruled out),caffeine, arrhythmias which are irregular rhymths of the heart.

The mucus on your chest is not likely to cause the palpitations unless you develop an infection and have a fever as part of the infective symptoms.

Normally when a person has palpitations the following is done to determine the cause: history - diet( may result in low blood count if deficient in iron), signs of thyroid excess, coffee use, duration of the palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pain.
Examination would involve: checking the pulse and the rhythm, listening to the heart sounds and lung fields, checking the mucous membranes for pallor (would suggest anemia), checking thyroid gland.
The investigations would include: blood tests for anemia, thyroid, blood sugar, an ECG to check the rhymth of the heart (if the ECG does not show anything at the time and you are still having palpitations then a Holter which is a heart rhymth strip over a 24hr period, will be done).
The treatment would depend on the cause of the symptoms.

In terms of the rhinitis the treatment would involve avoiding any allergens that you know cause your symptoms, the use of antihistamines like loratidine which you are using, nasal spray daily (like your nasonex), decongestants either topical or oral can be used to help with nasal congestion or runny nose. If symptoms still occur you could try a medication such as singulair which works to stop the histamine from being released in the first place (histamine is the chemical in the blood that causes the symptoms)

I hope this helps , feel free to ask any questions

Note: For further information on diet changes to reduce allergy symptoms or to boost your immunity, Ask here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Michelle Gibson James

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2001

Answered : 16808 Questions

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Chronic Rhinitis, Nasal Drip, Thick Mucus, Palpitations. Related?

Hi

Palpitations can be due to a number of different factors such as:anemia (low blood count), fever, high levels of thyroid hormone,panic disorders,low blood sugar,heart failure,anxiety(only diagnosed after everything else is ruled out),caffeine, arrhythmias which are irregular rhymths of the heart.

The mucus on your chest is not likely to cause the palpitations unless you develop an infection and have a fever as part of the infective symptoms.

Normally when a person has palpitations the following is done to determine the cause: history - diet( may result in low blood count if deficient in iron), signs of thyroid excess, coffee use, duration of the palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pain.
Examination would involve: checking the pulse and the rhythm, listening to the heart sounds and lung fields, checking the mucous membranes for pallor (would suggest anemia), checking thyroid gland.
The investigations would include: blood tests for anemia, thyroid, blood sugar, an ECG to check the rhymth of the heart (if the ECG does not show anything at the time and you are still having palpitations then a Holter which is a heart rhymth strip over a 24hr period, will be done).
The treatment would depend on the cause of the symptoms.

In terms of the rhinitis the treatment would involve avoiding any allergens that you know cause your symptoms, the use of antihistamines like loratidine which you are using, nasal spray daily (like your nasonex), decongestants either topical or oral can be used to help with nasal congestion or runny nose. If symptoms still occur you could try a medication such as singulair which works to stop the histamine from being released in the first place (histamine is the chemical in the blood that causes the symptoms)

I hope this helps , feel free to ask any questions