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How to Recognize the Symptoms of Nasal Polyps

The lining of your nasal passages and sinuses can become inflamed for various reasons. When this happens, a small protrusion or group of protrusions can form. These bumps on the inside of your nose are called nasal polyps and they can have unpleasant symptoms that need to be recognized and remedied.

Things You'll Need

  • Doctor's prescription
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Instructions

  1. Recognize the Symptoms of Nasal Polyps

    • 1

      Track when symptoms occur and how long they last. If the problem seems to be chronic rather than seasonal, you probably have nasal polyps rather than common hayfever. Hayfever is an allergic reaction to wind borne plant pollen that gets worse in the spring and early summer whereas the cause of nasal polyps isn't precisely known. Over the counter antihistamines treat hayfever but you may need a prescription to get over polyps.

    • 2

      Learn to recognize the most common signs of nasal polyps. These can include chronic sinus infections, stuffiness in the nose, a runny nose or headache.

    • 3

      Ask yourself why your sense of smell seems to have diminished lately. If this has happened to you and there is no reason for it that you can pinpoint, you may have nasal polyps.

    • 4

      Recognize new or increased snoring patterns as a symptom of nasal polyps. If your partner points out that you've been snoring much more than usual, this could be a symptom of nasal polyps.

    • 5

      Keep an eye on your children. Children often don't tell us what is wrong with them, and they may not even notice symptoms themselves. In children, nasal congestion due to polyps is often compensated with mouth breathing. If you notice that your child has been snoring and breathing through her mouth when she wasn't before, this could also be attributed to polyps.

    • 6

      Visit the Mayo Clinic website to learn more about nasal polyp symptoms and their cause (see Resources below).

    • 7

      Know that in some instances you may have to undergo surgery in order to remove your nasal polyps if medication doesn't work.

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