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Allergies That Cause Sinus Problems

A stuffy nose can make you miserable; it can make it difficult to breath properly and can affect your speech and your hearing. If you tend to experience stuffiness or other sinus problems when you do certain activities or eat certain foods, an allergy may be the cause of your sinus problems.

  1. Hay Fever

    • Hay fever is not necessarily an allergy to hay; it is a term used to describe an allergy to any sort of plant pollen. Hay fever symptoms mimic the symptoms of a cold, producing a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, coughing or watery eyes.

    Mold

    • Mold allergies can produce symptoms that irritate the sinus and nasal cavities. This is caused by the inhaled mold particles causing an allergic reaction with the sinus and nasal tissue with which they come into contact. These symptoms may include excessive stuffiness or coughing caused by nasal drip.

    Animal Dander

    • Like mold and pollen allergies, allergies to animal dander can irritate the nasal and sinus cavities. Animal dander allergies vary from person to person, and being allergic to one type of animal dander does not necessarily mean a person will be allergic to all animal dander. The most common forms of animal dander allergies are caused by the dander produced by cats and dogs.

    Dust

    • Most people who claim to have a dust allergy are not actually allergic to dust; they are allergic to particles contained within the dust, such as pollen, animal dander or waste produced by dust mites. Dust mites are harmless microscopic arachnids. They feed on other particles typically found in dust, such as dead human skin cells or pet dander. People with dust mite allergies will notice an increase in coughing, wheezing and stuffiness when dust is stirred up.

    Food

    • Many food allergies can produce sinus irritation. In children, the most common food allergy to produce this kind of reaction is a milk allergy. Adults may notice that they get a stuffy or runny nose when they drink certain types of alcohol, such as red wine. Because red wine is fermented, it can contain mold-like substances that cause an allergic reaction. Some people think that the sulfites in wine can produce an allergic reaction.

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