Nasal polyps:causes, symptoms, treatment and prognosis

Nasal polyps are whitish formations that appear inside the nostrils or paranasal sinuses and have a progressive growth.

Causes

The cause that results in the nose polyps is unknown. There is usually an inflammatory factor that disrupts the lining of the nose and causes the appearance of polyps. In some patients there may be an allergic factor or may develop due to some kind of infection.

Symptoms

The most common symptom is nasal obstruction. This is usually progressive and depends on the size of the polyps. You may polyps small size do not show symptoms, but the bigger they are, more obstruction occur. Other symptoms include loss of smell, mucus, usually aqueous, nasal voice or permanent congestion, frequent sneezing, loss of smell and taste and feeling of being cold.

Treatment

Nasal polyps are initially treated with medication, the most common being the use of cortisone by mouth and nasal spray or drops. This treatment aims to reduce the size of the polyps to improve the patient's symptoms.

If the polyps are very large or medical treatment fails opt for surgery. This is performed under general anesthesia and working through the nostrils using the endoscope ( endoscopic sinus surgery ). Income is a day and recovery after this type of surgery is usually about a week.

forecast

The extirpation of polyps through the surgery easier breathing through the nose. Even so, sometimes, nasal polyps may return over time. Sometimes, loss of sense of smell or taste not restored completely after treatment, either with medication or surgery.