Sinusitis often appears during allergy season or alongside upper respiratory infections such as the common cold or influenza. You suffer from congestion and runny nose over the course of the illness and then return to normal.
Sometimes, though, sinusitis persists for 12 weeks or more, earning the status of a chronic condition. Though the original condition is long gone, sinusitis symptoms remain, and it’s time to visit the specialists at Lawrence Otolaryngology Associates to find the reason for these lingering effects.
A common problem affecting 13 million Americans, nasal polyps are fleshy, noncancerous growths that form on the lining of your nasal passages and sinuses. While polyps are benign and painless, they take up valuable space within your airways.
Polyps alone can reduce the volume of air passing through the nose, but the biggest problem is how these growths inhibit normal drainage. When you have an overproduction of mucus brought on by allergies or infection, nasal polyps can block its flow out of the body.
Sinusitis already complicates drainage of the nasal passages and sinuses. The lining of the sinuses swells, making it more difficult for mucus to drain through the nose and down the throat.
The result is the congestion you experience during your allergy attack or respiratory infection. In the early stages, mucus production is a response to allergens and viral infection.
When polyps restrict drainage, conditions develop that support bacterial growth. If bacteria take hold, your sinusitis condition is less likely to clear up spontaneously, leading to a chronic condition.
While polyps develop as a response to inflammation in your nasal passages, it’s not fully understood why the process affects only some people. Men develop nasal polyps more often than women, but women’s cases of polyps are more likely to be severe.
You might be more at risk of having nasal polyps if you have any of these factors:
Medications that are used to treat high blood pressure and thyroid conditions are also known to contribute to the formation of nasal polyps.
Often, reducing or removing nasal polyps clears the associated chronic sinusitis. Steroid treatment in oral or spray form can shrink the size of polyps, improving drainage pathways. Other medications shrink polyps through immune system stimulation.
These methods can be combined with antibiotics when your sinusitis is bacterial. This adds the benefit of reduced mucus production as the infection clears.
Large polyps or persistent symptoms might require nasal surgery. There are several surgical approaches that are each performed through the nose itself, so there’s no incision or stitches required.
Diagnosing nasal polyps requires medical care, so if you have chronic sinusitis, request an appointment by phone or online with the nearest location of Lawrence Otolaryngology Associates in Lawrence or Ottawa today.
