Rhinitis as a cause of respiratory disorders during pregnancy.

Rhinitis is a common disease of women during pregnancy. It can start in almost any gestational week and disappears after delivery. The main symptoms are sneezing, nasal congestion or running nose. The diagnosis is usually based on history, physical examination, blood tests, and exclusion of the other more common types of rhinitis. The etiology remains to be clarified. The rhinitis may be caused by numerous substances and hormones secreted during pregnancy (PGH, VIP, estrogen, progesterone). They lead to changes in the nasal mucosa in the form of increased activity of serous-mucous glands and increase of their vasculature. The best treatment is using saline irrigations, exercise, and mechanical alar dilators. The nasal decongestants provide only temporary relief. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of pregnancy rhinitis. The study was conducted on 117 pregnant women in the province of the West Pomerania in 2009-2010. The information was obtained from interviews, questionnaires, and data contained in pregnancy records. About 39% of pregnant women suffered from pregnancy rhinitis. Most such ailments were found during 13th and 21st week of gestation. Doctors should pay more attention to symptoms which result from pregnancy rhinitis, which are reported by their patients. The quality of prenatal care understood as an education of pregnant women as far as pregnancy rhinitis is concerned, is much insufficient. Pregnancy rhinitis significantly affects quality of life of pregnant women and, as a result, it may affect fetal development.

Mental health of Polish students and the occurrence of respiratory tract infections.

The aim of the paper was to examine the association between the psychological status and the occurrence of respiratory tract infections which constitute the most common group of disorders in the student population. The study comprised 500 Polish students aged 19-21. Two psychological scales were utilized: the Goldberg GHQ-12 scale to examine the general psychological status and the CES-D scale to evaluate the symptoms of depression. In addition a pro-health questionnaire in the examined group of students was performed. We found an increased stress level in 51% of students and the symptoms of depression in 22%. An association between distress and the occurrence of respiratory tract infections was found, based on statistical analyses. The highest stress level and related high distress index were observed in the students suffering from lower respiratory tract infections (7.1 scale value). This group self-evaluated their health status as poor, based on the pro-health questionnaire. In the same group of students, lack of sleep (5.4), lack of regular eating habits (4.2) and lack of physical activity (3.9) were also observed. The study shows that the Polish student population is exposed to increased stress level, which, in turn, increases the occurrence of respiratory tract infections.