Nonallergic Rhinitis

Your health care provider will likely give you a physical exam and ask you about your symptoms. You’ll need tests to find out if something other than nonallergic rhinitis is causing your symptoms.

You may have nonallergic rhinitis if:

• You have a stuffy nose.
• Your nose runs or mucus drips down the back of your throat.
• Tests for other health problems don’t find causes such as allergies or a sinus problem.

In some cases, your provider might have you try a medicine to see whether your symptoms get better.

Checking for allergies

Allergies often cause symptoms such as sneezing and a stuffy, runny nose. Some tests can help make sure that your symptoms aren’t caused by an allergy. You may need skin or blood tests.

• Skin test. The skin is pricked and exposed to tiny bits of common allergens found in the air. These include dust mites, mold, pollen, and cat and dog dander. If you’re allergic to any of these, you’ll likely get a raised bump where your skin was pricked. If you’re not allergic, your skin won’t have changes.
• Blood test. A lab can test a sample of your blood to find out if you have an allergy. The lab checks for higher levels of proteins called immunoglobulin E antibodies. These can release chemicals that cause allergy symptoms.

Sometimes, symptoms may be caused by both allergic and nonallergic triggers.

Checking for sinus problems

Your provider also will want to find out if your symptoms are due to a sinus problem. You might need an imaging test to check your sinuses.

• Nasal endoscopy. This test checks the sinuses with a thin tool that has a camera on the end. The tool is called an endoscope. The endoscope is passed through the nostrils to look inside the nose.
• computed tomography (CT) scan. This test uses X-rays to make images of the sinuses. The images are more detailed than those made by typical X-ray exams.