Some people when they sit at the table and prepare to comerimmediately, they experience a disconcerting sensation: after a few bites, They start to have a runny nose. Many accept this without further ado and simply place two napkins next to the plate, one to wipe their boca and another to clean the nose.
This condition is known as ‘gustatory rhinitis’, and it is related or associated with the act of eating or the sense of taste. “Any type of food can cause the condition, but more often than not, spicy foods are the culprit,” as this article from VeryWellHealth that analyzes the causes why we sneeze when eating.
The rhinitis is a term used to describe various conditions that cause inflammation and swelling of the nose (especially of the mucous membrane). Although many associate rhinitis with allergies, there are also other types of rhinitis that respond to a completely different immune response.
This is the case of gustatory rhinitis, a type of non-allergic rhinitis, As stated in this article published in Webmd, in which the nose becomes inflamed but not because of an allergy.
It is an inflammatory disease of the nose that appears due to “an aberrant stimulation of parasympathetic secretomotor nasal fibers when salivation is activated, According to the National Institute of Health of the United States (NIH, for its acronym in English).
prepare food or even the smell of it can also trigger gustatory rhinitis. But in addition to the drip, there is a symptom less common associated with this condition, and very curious, that scientists have come to call ‘Snatiation’. This is a reaction related to rhinitis that is not well studied. The term is an acronym formed by ‘sneeze’ and ‘satiety’, and consists of sneezing without control. It appears to be genetic and occurs after eating large meals, but does not cause any major problems.
If, in addition to dripping when eating, a sneezing crisis is triggered, the rhinitis could be confused with a cold because it is characterized by watery rhinorrheaand very abundant, in some cases, produces sneezing and watery eyes. However, there is no itching or other symptoms. Also, since it appears almost immediately after eating the trigger food (and usually disappears within minutes) it is easy to associate it with food.
“The heat emanating from the food or its spices activate the mucosal cells that line the nasal passages, activating the production of mucus”, explain it Tanya Elliott, MD medical doctor and expert in medicines such as Xyzal y Nasacortto the magazine Parade. “Mucus is produced as a mechanism to try to protect the body from harmful substances.”
Although, as we pointed out before, any food can cause gustatory rhinitis, the most common are:
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Black pepper.
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Curry.
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Hot sauce.
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Chilli powder.
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Chilli Peppers.
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Horseradish.
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Onions.
But beware, It is also possible that a food allergy is the cause of the runny nose. However, symptoms of food allergies can range from mild to severe, and are usually involve more than nasal congestion. For example, they generate other types of discomfort such as itching, rashes, swelling of the tongue, difficulty breathing; something that does not happen with gustatory rhinitis, so it is relatively easy to differentiate them.
In addition, the most frequent food allergies and intolerances are usually related to nuts such as peanuts and tree nuts, shellfish, dairy products, gluten and eggs. While gustatory rhinitis is associated with the strongest and most spicy foods, although it does not exclude the rest.
Gustatory rhinitis, on the other hand, is different from when your nose runs because you’re eating soup or something that’s hot. As pointed out by the doctor Erich Voigt, clinical associate professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at NYU Langone Health Medical Center in New York, this occurs due to condensation of steam vapors and is not related to the inflammation of rhinitis.
However, to formally diagnose it as gustatory rhinitis, and not allergic or otherwise, your doctor must first discard it with some tests such as puncture or scrapingwhich involves introducing small amounts of allergens into your system to see if and how it reacts, and the immunoglobulin E (IgE) blood test, to measure your immune response to allergens.
If there is no reaction to these tests, and the only symptoms you have after eating food are a runny nose and perhaps watery eyes and sneezing, your doctor will likely diagnose you with gustatory rhinitis.
Regarding treatment, since gustatory rhinitis is not allergic, it cannot be treated with antihistamines. Most symptoms can be relieved simply avoiding triggers from food or using a nasal drop that relieves discharge, it is sprayed into the nose to prevent the glands from producing a large amount of fluid.
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