This often leads to temporary severe congestion, which can be helped by topical or oral corticosteroids. Neutrophilic rhinosinusitis is usually triggered by a sinus or related infection. It may also be associated with viral infections such as a cold or flu. This form of rhinitis causes symptoms such as post-nasal drip and sinus pain, which may be treated with decongestants and nasal saline solution. Antibiotics are prescribed when the sinuses are infected, but not for simple colds.
Structural rhinitis is caused by structural abnormalities in the nasal septum.
These abnormalities can be the result of an injury, such as a broken nose, or something that the person was born with, such as small or crooked nasal passages. Structural rhinitis may produce year-round congestion that usually affects one side of the nose more than the other. Surgery can aid in correcting this abnormality. Symptoms of rhinitis can also be caused by nasal polyps growths on the mucus membrane of the nose that can cause congestion and loss of sense of smell. They provoke symptoms year-round and usually begin between the ages of 20 and 40.