Nasal Polyps

What are nasal polyps?

Nasal polyps are growths in the lining of the nose or sinuses. Polyps usually occur in both the right and left nasal passages. When there is a single polyp, it is important to make sure it is not cancerous.

How do they occur?

The reason some people get nasal polyps is not known. They commonly occur with diseases such as asthma, aspirin allergy, allergic rhinitis (hay fever), chronic sinus infections, and cystic fibrosis. Men are 4 times as likely to have nasal polyps as women.

What are the symptoms?

Polyps look like small white or pink grapes in the nose and can cause:

• stuffy nose and trouble breathing
• runny nose or sneezing
• a poor sense of smell and taste
• changes in the way your voice sounds
• mouth breathing
• frequent sinus infections.

How are they diagnosed?

Your health care provider will ask about your medical history and examine you. He or she will ask if you have asthma or are allergic to aspirin. You may be referred to an otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat specialist) for an endoscopy. Endoscopy uses a small, flexible, lighted scope to examine your nasal passages.

How are they treated?

If your nasal polyps are small, your health care provider may prescribe a corticosteroid nasal spray or corticosteroid pills. This medicine will slowly shrink the polyps. If you continue to take the medicine, it may prevent new polyps. If your polyps are large, you may need surgery to remove them.

How long do the effects last?

Steroid medicines usually begin to shrink nasal polyps within 10 days.

Surgery to remove the polyps corrects the problem right away. You may have some soreness from the procedure, but it should not last more than a few days.

Once you have had nasal polyps, they often recur. You may need to take medicine that helps prevent them or you may need to have polyps removed surgically again.

How can I help prevent nasal polyps?

Because the cause of nasal polyps is not known, there is no known way to prevent them. If you have had nasal polyps, using a steroid nasal spray on a regular basis may help keep polyps from coming back. Talk with your health care provider about this.