Is nasal congestion (nasal blockage) due to “nasal polyps”?
Patients often come to the clinic with nasal congestion and often ask the question, “Do I have nasal polyps?”
There are many reasons for nasal congestion, usually, any tissue or structure or foreign body blocking the nasal cavity will cause the feeling of nasal congestion.
Nasal polyps are one of the causes of nasal congestion, but most nasal congestion has little to do with nasal polyps. A nasal polyp is one or more smooth, grayish, yellowish or reddish translucent swellings in the nasal cavity, such as lychee flesh. It is soft to the touch, not painful and does not bleed easily. It is not a normal structure of the nasal cavity. Nasal polyps can be large enough to cause nasal congestion and are often accompanied by sinusitis. Nasal polyps are associated with edema of the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity, and patients with allergic rhinitis are more likely to develop nasal polyps. But in general, the incidence of nasal polyps is not as high as one might think.
It is also important to note that “polyp-like changes” are not the same as nasal polyps. Generally speaking, structures in the nasal cavity such as turbinates, hooks, and sieve bubbles sometimes have a more pronounced edema, similar to a polyp, for various reasons, which is called polypoid change. Most of these changes are reversible and are well treated with appropriate medication. It can only become a nasal polyp if it forms a lymphoid hyperplasia with tip formation, and mostly requires surgery.
Common causes of nasal congestion include enlarged turbinates (mainly inferior turbinates), pneumatization of the middle turbinates, marked deviation of the nasal septum, allergic rhinitis nasal edema, etc. Others include nasal polyps, various types of benign and malignant nasal masses (rare). It is important to note that children with nasal congestion need to pay attention to the presence of adenoid hypertrophy.
Sinus CT is an effective way to check the cause and degree of nasal congestion, and some hospitals also have nasal ventilation function tests, etc. After clarifying the cause, targeted treatment can be taken.