Because nasal polyps are small and lack sensation, you may not realize you have them. Although nasal polyps can cause certain symptoms, not everyone has symptoms. What’s more, nasal polyps share symptoms with other conditions affecting the nose and sinuses, making it tricky to tell if you have them.
“Nasal polyps often manifest with changes in sense of smell, nasal obstruction, congestion, and mucus either being blown out of the nose or being felt as postnasal drip,” says Alexander Schneider, MD, an otolaryngologist at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Illinois. (Postnasal drip is the flow of mucus from the back of the nose down into the throat.)
Nasal polyps often develop in people with chronic rhinosinusitis, a medical condition involving inflammation of the nose and sinus cavities that’s reported to affect almost 12 percent of the adult population. People with asthma, allergies, repeat infections, or nasal inflammation are also more likely to get polyps.
So, how can you tell if it’s nasal polyps or something else? Read on to narrow it down. Note that symptoms may vary from person to person, so always check with your doctor to get a proper diagnosis.
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