If you`re plagued by perpetual sniffling and sneezing and a runny nose, there`s a chance that former drug experimentation-and not a cold or allergies- may be the cause.
According to Dr. Richard Leinhardt, chief of ENT Facial Plastic Surgery New York`s Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, the problem may arise from just a few uses of cocaine as many as 20 years ago.
The culprits are adulterants found in street-grade cocaine, which produce irritation in the lining of the nose that eventually can expand to become a hole.
``This is truly a silent disease because very few people think to look inside someone`s nose to trace the problem,`` says Leinhardt.
Instead what often happens is that people continue along for years treating their nasal problems as if they were the result of a cold or allergy until the symptoms become severe.
About 23 million Americans have sampled cocaine. A majority may have tried it only a handful of times but may be afflicted with this problem. Of that number, there were 2 million women who used cocaine at least once last year, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.