Nasal congestion, loss of smell, and disfigured appearance? All caused by nasal polyps!

It is not uncommon for people to suffer from nasal polyps in daily life, and they are very painful. Many friends don’t know much about nasal polyps. Let’s learn about it with the editor today.

Qingbitang: What are nasal polyps?

Nasal polyps are chronic inflammatory diseases of the nasal and sinus mucosa. The inflammatory mucosa is highly edematous and forms polyps in the nasal cavity and sinuses. Clinical manifestations include gradually worsening persistent nasal congestion, olfactory impairment, runny nose and sneezing. Nasal polyps are not true tumors, but are often the result of nasal mucosal edema caused by allergic reactions and chronic inflammation of the sinuses. They are more common in middle-aged people and older, and more common in men than in women.

Qingbitang: What are the types of nasal polyps?

(1) Allergic polyps

It is often bilateral and multiple. If the allergic cause cannot be eliminated, polyps often recur after removal. In addition to obvious edema, the lesions have a large number of eosinophil infiltration, obvious thickening of the basement membrane under the mucosal epithelium (hyalinization), and metaplasia of the epithelium.

(2) Inflammatory polyps

Unilateral or single polyp formation is mostly caused by local infection. It is not easy to recur after resection, but recurrence cannot be ruled out. The edema is mild, and the exuded inflammatory cells are mainly neutrophils and monocytes. Epithelial metaplasia and basement membrane thickening are less common, which can be distinguished from allergic polyps.

(3) Posterior nasal polyp

This is a clinical name, because the polyp has a long pedicle extending from the nasal cavity through the posterior foramen into the nasopharynx. Irritant or allergic nasal mucosal edema does not heal for a long time, and the lesions are mainly inflammatory edema and inflammatory infiltration, without interstitial degeneration and hyperplasia, so nasal polyps belong to inflammatory lesions. However, because nasal polyps form lumps, they are often called "tumor-like lesions", but in fact they generally do not become malignant.

Qingbitang kindly reminds you: some nasal polyps are very large and can easily cause nasal congestion, difficulty breathing, olfactory impairment, headaches, and nasal tone when speaking. If they are not cured for a long time, they will also change the appearance of the nose.

Reference: Official WeChat of Luzhou Modern Otolaryngology Hospital - Nasal congestion and decreased sense of smell are caused by nasal polyps