More than 150 million people suffer from allergies in the United States. Environmental allergens, such as pollen and mold, are especially worse in northern Virginia, Maryland, and downtown DC. Allergic symptoms are sometimes indistinguishable from a deviated septum. Patients may suffer from nasal congestion, snoring, post-nasal drip, runny nose, fatigue and tiredness, and facial pressure from either condition. Nasal allergies cause the mucous membranes of the nose and sinus cavity to swell up and create more mucous. A deviated septum is a structural condition of the nasal cartilage and bone. Both a deviated septum and allergies may occur at the same time. Only through complete testing can one differentiate the cause of symptoms for a particular patient.
Many patients think they may have an allergy to dust, pollen, mold, trees, or pets, but their nasal symptoms are primarily due to a deviated septum and/or large turbinates. Allergy patients may be treated with immunotherapy (allergy shots), in addition to antihistamines and allergy medication. These allergy shots are a series of injections that patients with allergies may choose in order to improve their health by reducing allergic symptoms and reducing the need for allergy medication. Allergy shots are specific for each particular patient, with injections performed in the office under medical supervision. While Dr. Chaboki, a facial plastic surgeon, does not treat allergies with shots directly, he works closely with many metropolitan Washington DC, northern Virginia, and Maryland allergists.