Don’t ignore a nasal congestion

Having a nose block is an uncomfortable feeling that many of us have experienced at some point in our lives. The nose could be clogged due to a normal cold or a growth called "Nasal Polyps" Nasal polyps are an abnormal, soft and a painless bunch of grape-like lesions that grow from the lining of the nose and sinuses. They are non-cancerous and are caused by various diseases in the nose or par nasal sinuses. They often occur at the outflow tract of the sinuses, resulting in chronic sinusitis, allergies or severe infections. Found in all age groups, they are soft and lack sensation. Multiple growths block your olfactory passages, causing severe nose block, lack of smell, or altered smell like that of burning fuel! The other symptoms are lack of taste, persistent drip felt at the back of the throat, headaches and facial pain. Evidence of swelling around the eyes, double vision or decrease in vision, snoring and sleep apnea warrant immediate medical attention. Complications can include sleep apnea, flare ups of asthma, infection in the eye socket and meningitis. Scientists are unable to phantom the causes of nasal polyps, and are baffled as to why the formation is found in some people and not in others? Research has proved that people having this malady have a different immune system response and different chemical markers in their mucous membranes. However, most theories consider polyps to be the ultimate manifestation of chronic inflammation in the lining of the nose and sinuses. There are many common conditions that can occur in association to polyps. They include asthma (20 per cent to 50 per cent), allergic rhinitis, allergic fungal sinusitis (80 per cent) chronic sinusitis (8 per cent to 20 per cent), cystic fibrosis, hereditary and genetic variations. Tests for diagnosis are done by nasal endoscopy and imaging studies obtained by computerized tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Treatment strategy is to reduce or completly eliminate the polyps. Since the actual causes are unknown, and clinical evidence shows that management of allergies eliminates the polyps, intra nasal sprays are recommended as they have shown promising results for long term use in suppressing inflammation. Nevertheless these sprays are ineffective in massive nasal polyposis, and if medical treatment fails, endoscopic surgery is the next option.