Symptoms of nasal polyps

Written by Xu Qing Tian
Otolaryngology
Updated on March 22, 2025
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Nasal polyps are mucosal proliferative tissue masses caused by chronic inflammation or physical and chemical factors. Symptoms induced by nasal polyps primarily include nasal congestion, runny nose, nasal itchiness, and sneezing. Some patients may also experience headaches, nasal bleeding, and other related symptoms. For patients with nasal polyps, initial treatment should involve medication to control the growth of the polyps. Subsequently, functional endoscopic sinus surgery can be undertaken to excise the proliferative nasal polyp tissue under endoscopy, restoring the normal physiological environment and function of the nasal cavity, thereby completely alleviating symptoms of nasal congestion.

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Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
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What is the cause of bleeding from nasal polyps?

Nasal polyps are a relatively common clinical disease, with various symptoms. Common symptoms include bleeding, as well as nasal congestion, runny nose, reduced sense of smell, headache, and dizziness. The bleeding caused by nasal polyps may be due to the condition of the polyps themselves, with some patients experiencing bleeding polyps that bleed repeatedly. It could also be due to inflammation associated with the polyps, or erosion of the nasal mucosa or small blood vessels in the nasal cavity rupturing and causing bleeding. Therefore, when such symptoms occur, it is necessary to visit an otolaryngology (ENT) department for tests such as a complete blood count, coagulation function tests, nasopharyngoscopy, and a sinus CT scan to determine the specific cause of the condition.

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Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
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Can nasal polyps be treated conservatively?

Nasal polyps are a relatively common otolaryngologic condition. Some patients may consider conservative treatment, particularly when the severity of the nasal polyps is mild. If, after standard conservative medication treatment, the severity of the nasal polyps does not gradually improve but instead worsens, or if the initial severity of the nasal polyps is high, conservative medication treatment may not be effective. In such cases, surgical treatment should be considered. Currently, the most common procedure is endoscopic nasal polyp removal surgery, which is a minimally invasive surgery. Overall, the surgery tends to have good outcomes and relatively minor damage. However, it requires regular check-ups to monitor the effectiveness of the surgery.

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Written by Deng Bang Yu
Otolaryngology
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How is nasal polyps treated?

Nasal polyps are a common clinical condition, prevalent in the nasal and sinus cavities as benign space-occupying lesions. Clinically, these polyps appear as translucent, lychee-like neoplasms. The primary clinical treatment for nasal polyps is surgical, typically performed with an endoscope to remove the polyps, mainly using a powered system. After nasal polyp surgery, the treatment is not completely finished; regular outpatient follow-ups are necessary to infiltrate the nasal and sinus cavities and remove some of the swollen mucosal tissue, thus preventing the recurrence of nasal polyps.

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Written by Deng Bang Yu
Otolaryngology
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Nasal polyps CT manifestations

Nasal polyps are benign neoplasms of the nasal area. On a CT scan, they primarily appear as increased density shadows in the nasal cavity and sinus cavity. These shadows have a definite shape, which is why we see nasal polyps as oval-shaped. Secondly, the density of the nasal polyps can be distinctively differentiated from the surrounding densities; the density of the surrounding bone is very high, while the density of the nasal polyps is relatively direct, appearing as a gray density shadow. Thirdly, we observe accompanying inflammatory changes in the nasal cavity and sinus cavity on the nasal polyps, such as thickened sinus cavity mucosa and, in some cases, the presence of purulent secretions due to inflammatory infections, as seen on the CT scan.

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Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
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What will happen if nasal polyps worsen?

If nasal polyps deteriorate, it might lead to associated clinical symptoms, commonly including nasal congestion, runny nose, bloody nasal discharge, headaches, dizziness, and a reduced sense of smell. A small portion of patients may also experience malignant transformation. The specific clinical symptoms vary from individual to individual. After the onset of the condition, it is necessary to promptly visit an otolaryngology department. Undergoing a sinus CT and endoscopic examination can help assess the severity and extent of the condition. Regarding treatment, some patients may consider conservative medication treatment, but others with more severe conditions where the medication is ineffective might need to consider surgical treatment.