You might have noticed that certain people are always sick: they have a stuffy nose; they probably complain of frequent headaches, lack of a sense of smell, and a runny nose. Their condition could be due to the presence of some non-cancerous growth in the lining tissues of their nasal passages. These are referred to as nasal polyps. They look like teardrops, and they are usually painless.

1. What causes nasal polyps?
Interestingly, not enough has been found to understand what causes nasal polyps. However, individuals with allergies, inflammation, asthma, or certain disorders in the immune system are more likely to develop them. While they can happen at any age, young and middle-aged adults are most susceptible to them.

2. What are the types of nasal polyps?
There are two types of nasal polyps. Ethmoidal polyps are called so because they develop in the ethmoidal sinuses that are located between the eyes and the nose. They are also more common. Antrochoanal polyps develop in the lower maxillary sinuses between the nose, cheeks, and teeth.

3. What are the symptoms and signs of nasal polyps?
Nasal polyps are usually painless but if they grow larger, a few symptoms might show up. They include a runny nose, a compromised sense of smell, breathing through the mouth, pressure in the forehead or the face, snoring, sleep apnea, chronic nasal congestion, and mucus running down the back of the throat or a postnasal drip .

4. How are nasal polyps diagnosed
A visit to an ENT specialist is warranted to perform a diagnosis. An instrument known as the “nasoscope” is used to look into the patient’s nasal passages to see whether they have nasal polyps. If the nasoscope cannot find them, then the ENT specialist might perform a nasal endoscopy.

In some cases, doctors might perform a CT or MRI scan to find the polyps and to check their size. Sometimes, these polyps might grow large enough to cause damage to the bone. If the nasal polyps are found, then additional tests, like allergy tests, may be required to determine the causes.

5. How can nasal polyps be treated?
The most preferred treatment by most ENT specialists is nasal steroids that can be sprayed right into the nasal passage. Some of these steroids are fluticasone, budesonide, and mometasone. How they help is by reducing the inflammation and the size of the polyps.

Another form of treatment is surgery by performing a polypectomy. It is usually done using a microdebrider or a suction device.

6. How can nasal polyps be prevented?
If you have asthma, make sure you follow the treatment prescribed by your doctor and change it if it isn’t working. Practicing good hygiene by keeping your hands and home clean also helps. You might also want to consider using a nasal rinse to cleanse your nasal passages.