Polyps in the nose can manifest themselves as quite unpredictable (from the point of view of the layman) phenomena - because of them, the head hurts, the person is constantly tired, it is not possible to rest even during a long sleep. Working capacity decreases, sleep worsens, and it becomes more and more difficult to wake up in the morning. All these signs, many of which are in no way associated with breathing, may indicate precisely polyps. To find out exactly what explains the poor he alth, you need to seek the help of a qualified doctor.
Causes and consequences
Of course, nasal polyps are not the only factor that can provoke such consequences, cause nasal congestion and difficulty breathing. A runny nose is also due to infection, and due to an allergic reaction, a response to drug therapy. There is a risk of chronic or acute sinusitis. The main task of the patient is to consult a doctor in time to determine the causes of the problem. In most cases, they can be completely eliminated and returned to themselves.quality breathing. True, different root causes require a different approach. In particular, polyps are not as easy to deal with as, for example, a runny nose due to a cold or SARS.
Nasal polyps are such benign formations, which are hyperplasia of the mucosa. They appear due to the swelling of a separate area inside the nasal cavity, the proliferation of tissue cells lining this area of the respiratory system, as well as the sinus.
Terms and facts
If polyps are detected in the nose, polyposis is diagnosed. The disease is chronic, gradually progressing. At first, the ability to distinguish odors weakens and completely disappears, gradually breathing becomes worse. At a later stage, there is a risk of complete blockage of the nasal passage. Against the background of polyposis, there is a possibility of abundant nasal discharge.
Doctors say that polyps are on average present in the nose of 4% of the population of our planet. More often, such a he alth disorder is detected in men - the frequency is almost twice as high as in the female sex.
Polyps in the nose of a child, an adult can move. In the main percentage of cases, they do not provoke pain and do not even manifest themselves as sensations, since the formations are not sensitive to touch. Small polyps may appear - up to 5 mm in diameter, but some reach large sizes - several centimeters.
Where did the trouble come from?
One of the causes of nasal polyps in adults and children is allergic rhinitis. Chronic disease appears as a complicationallergies. To a greater extent, this is characteristic of those for whom airborne products and compounds are allergens. These include dust, pollen, fungal spores, wool and similar provocateurs of a negative response of the body.
In addition to rhinitis, bronchitis, asthma, hay fever and other diseases of an allergic nature, infection of the nasal mucosa with fungi, inflammatory processes in the sinuses localized on the surface of the mucosa can provoke polyposis. Of the diagnoses, it is worth mentioning sinusitis, frontal sinusitis, sinusitis. There is a higher risk of polyps in people who, from birth, have a nasal cavity of a specific anomalous structure, characterized by excessively narrow nasal passages. If the nasal septum is deviated (congenital or due to trauma), it interferes with breathing and can also provoke an overgrowth of the nasal mucosa.
There is a higher risk of needing treatment for nasal polyps if a person is infected with Staphylococcus aureus, whose toxins can cause nasal polyposis. Sometimes the disease develops against the background of an inadequate immune response to a certain factor, and also due to cystic fibrosis. This term refers to a hereditary systemic disease due to a mutation in one of the genes. This leads to disruption of the functionality of a number of glands, malfunctions of the respiratory system.
Some varieties
It is customary to distinguish two classes of polyps:
- anthrochoanal;
- ethmoidal.
The former are more common in children, the latter are more common among adults. Antrochoanal are localized in the sinuses of the mucous membrane of the upper jaw, usually single and slowly developing. Ethmoid are diagnosed with a much higher frequency. Their source is the mucous membrane of the ethmoid labyrinth. As a rule, formations are bilateral, numerous, and grow rapidly.
Stages and forms
Treatment of nasal polyps is chosen based on how the disease has progressed.
The first stage is diagnosed if less than half of the lumen of the nasal passage is blocked by the growth of the mucosa.
Second stage - the polyp blocks more than half of the air passage.
In the third step, the nose loses the ability to pass air, since there is no free space left.
Symptoms of the disease
The most basic symptom of nasal polyps is a runny nose that doesn't go away with time. At the same time, a person feels that breathing is difficult, this condition worries for a long time. Discharge is observed from the nose - mucus, in which there may be purulent inclusions. Since polyps can irritate the ciliary epithelial layer, the patient often sneezes.
Against the background of polyposis, a person snores in his sleep, speaks in a nasal voice, does not perceive odors. If there is asthma, its exacerbations with polyps become much more frequent. Difficulty breathing provokes a headache.
If the above symptoms of nasal polyps appear, you should consult a doctor. There are many cases when the diagnosis was made almost by accident - the patient came to the doctor with completely different complaints, since the manifestations characteristic of polyposis do not cause manydue concern. Doctors pay attention: polyps need to be treated, and as soon as they were diagnosed, therefore, with the above signs, it is worth getting an examination by a doctor to clarify the condition.
What to do?
A lot of interesting information can be gleaned from reviews written by people who have been treated for polyposis. Nasal polyps, as many admit, at first seemed to be an insignificant problem - nothing more than a runny nose, from which vasoconstrictor drops help. As a rule, people turned to the doctor when it became completely clear that all the drops from the common cold presented in pharmacies did not give a pronounced effect.
It is especially important to seek qualified help in time, treatment for symptoms of nasal polyps that have an irregular shape. Such formations can be a source of bleeding, pain. There is a possibility that the manifestations indicate a tumor in the nasal cavity - the patient needs an urgent detailed examination using special equipment.
Where to go?
What to do, what will be the treatment of nasal polyps (with surgery, without surgery), the doctor will tell you at the appointment when the diagnosis is confirmed. Assuming polyposis, they turn to an ENT doctor.
If tests suggest an allergy, the patient is registered with an allergist. After confirming the presence of polyps, conservative methods of treatment are first offered, and only if they are ineffective, they will be sent for surgery. Surgical measures can provoke an activation of an allergic response, against which there is a risk of asthma.
Without surgery, nasal polyps can be cured only in the initial stages of the disease. If the case is neglected, the patency of the nasal passages is lost, it will not be possible to do without the help of a surgeon. First, the patient is prescribed a complex treatment, as the first stage of the course is completed, they are sent for surgery, then they continue therapy with drugs that stop inflammatory processes. With polyposis, the practice of using immunomodulatory drugs that increase the body's ability to resist allergens is widespread. An indispensable element of complex treatment is topical corticosteroids. The right combination of drugs can reduce the likelihood of recurrence and significantly reduce the size of existing neoplasms.
Nuances of treatment
Conservative treatment of polyposis is possible if the disease is explained by an allergic reaction. If the source is different, the doctor may recommend surgery from the very beginning. Nasal polyps due to factors other than allergies can be removed at any stage.
Diagnostics, identifying the features of the condition, formulating an accurate final diagnosis are the mandatory steps in prescribing therapy. Self-treatment of polyposis is impossible, the risk of harming yourself is too high.
Careful approach
Removal of nasal polyps is usually practiced in conjunction with supportive drug therapy. First, the neoplasm is removed, then the patient is prescribed drugs that reduce the risk of recurrence.situation.
Removal of polyps in the nose is carried out according to one of the technologies:
- traditional;
- endoscopic;
- laser.
The first option is classic. You can use special loops or other tools designed to remove polyps for a long time. The endoscope is the more modern and preferred approach. The surgeon uses a debrider. By means of a laser, the overgrown tissue is evaporated, thereby solving the problem of hyperplasia.
If it is possible to start therapy on time, to carry out the removal of polyps in the nose correctly, without complications, the patient is completely cured. The ability to perceive odors is restored, breathing returns to normal. Timely treatment of polyposis helps prevent serious illnesses that polyps could provoke.
How to prevent relapse?
You can reduce the risk of recurrence of episodes of polyposis if you regularly wash your sinuses with special medications. Which ones, the doctor will prescribe based on the characteristics of a particular case. The doctor will recommend antihistamines and aerosolized corticosteroids. Additionally, the patient will be prescribed a light diet. It is especially important to adhere to it during a period when allergen activity is strong - for example, while plants are flowering.
If polyposis is provoked not by allergic reactions, but by other reasons, homeopathy is usually recommended to prevent relapse. You can try folk methods and remedies.
Surgery: features of interventions
What will help if identifiednasal polyps? The photo below shows a loop for the operation. This method of removal appeared the very first of those currently practiced. It has many disadvantages, the main ones are soreness and trauma. The use of the loop provokes severe bleeding. The rehabilitation period after such an event is longer than in other cases. Another weakness is the limited possibilities for using the technology: not every polyp can be removed with a loop technique. If the neoplasm is located in the nasal cavity, it will be possible to get rid of it, but in most cases, hyperplasia begins in the sinuses, from where it is impossible to remove excess tissue using a loop. There is a high probability that in a year or two the patient will experience a relapse of the disease.
Endoscopic is one of the most effective methods of polyposis treatment. In the work, a debrider, a shaver is used. The patient receives minimal injuries, and the neoplasms are completely removed from the human body. The probability of recurrence is half as much as in the case described above, and minimal damage is caused to he althy tissues in the neighborhood of polyps.
Endoscope features
This technology has both positive aspects and weaknesses. Of the most important advantages, it is worth noting minimal bleeding. Surgeons do not need to make incisions, and all manipulations are controlled on the monitor, so that every movement of the doctor is perfectly aligned and absolutely accurate. He althy tissues are practically not harmed - this is guaranteed by high accuracydevices used by doctors.
The main weakness of endoscopic surgery is the risk of recurrence of the problem. Up to half of all patients are treated with polyposis again. As a rule, recurrence is observed several years after a successful intervention.
How is it going?
Polypotomy is practically painless, has a number of advantages, therefore it is preferable in comparison with the loop operation. The intervention is performed under general anesthesia. An endoscope is inserted into the nostril, equipped with a video camera that transmits a picture to the monitor. This allows the doctor to control every stage of the work. Through the endoscope, you can accurately understand how many polyps, what are their dimensions, and localization features.
The next step is to use a shaver, a debrider. This device has a special tip that is drawn into the overgrown mucous tissue. At the very base, the neoplasm is cut off.
The duration of the intervention is determined by the complexity of the case, the number of formations, the need to treat only one sinus or two at once. At the end of the event, doctors put tampons in the nasal passages, which remain until the morning of the next day. Then they are removed.
No way
Endoscopic surgery is contraindicated in asthmatics during an exacerbation of the disease, as well as in persons who have allergic rhinitis, bronchitis with acute obstruction. It is impossible to hold an event with seasonal hay fever if a person has an allergic reaction to pollen. The operation is prohibited for persons with heart failure and ischemia. Intervention is not performed for acute infection or severe systemic diseases.
It is undesirable to intervene if a person has a cold. This also applies to situations of mild malaise. Should not be referred for polypotomy if arterial blood pressure is elevated. Such conditions can adversely affect the period of the operation, affect the patient's condition during rehabilitation.
Recovery after surgery
The main task of the rehabilitation period is to restore the integrity of the nasal mucosa. After the removal of medical swabs, blood will accumulate in the nose. The tissues will become foci of localization of fibrin plaque, crusts will appear. The patient is forbidden to blow his nose and eat hot. From the vestibule of the nose, it is necessary to carefully remove all mucous secretions. The doctor will explain how to properly remove the crusts so as not to slow down the regenerative processes.
After the operation it is necessary to wash the sinuses. What to do and how exactly, the doctor will also explain at the appointment. The first procedures will be done by the nurse of the clinic. In most cases, the patient can breathe normally after the operation. The sense of smell gradually returns over the course of a month.
Efficient and modern
Removal of polyps in the nose with a laser is the least traumatic method available to modern patients. Enough local anesthesia. The operation is performed on an outpatient basis. In recent years, burning has become more common, and the cost of such an operation is gradually decreasing. In work, doctors use an endoscope to monitor through the camerasituation in the work area, and laser equipment.
The main advantage of this approach is the speed of execution. The patient does not suffer from pain, the procedure is not associated with bleeding, there is no chance of infection, since there are no open wounds. The doctor controls all his actions, sees where and how the device works.
Although the risk of recurrence remains with the laser, it is much lower when compared with traditional loop surgery, and somewhat less than with the endoscopic approach. The duration of the rehabilitation period after laser surgery is no more than four days.
Limitations and Opportunities
For nasal polyps, laser is a good option, but even such advanced technology does not guarantee the absence of recurrence. In addition, the method is not applicable if the neoplasms are multiple. It is impossible to open the sinuses of the nose, which means that there is another relapse factor.
You cannot resort to laser removal if the patient has bronchitis with obstruction. It is impossible to carry out such an intervention if the polyposis is of an allergic nature, and the flowering season of plants is currently lasting. Intervention is not carried out for women who are expecting a child, as well as for persons who have numerous growths of the mucous tissue of the nasal cavity.
Laser is a good option when the polyp is single. The method is associated with minimal damage to he althy tissues, so even asthmatics can be operated on.
Features of the event
On the day of the operation, it is recommendedstarve. During the intervention, the doctor first injects a drug for local anesthesia, then brings an endoscope with a video camera to the area of work to control the process. Installed laser equipment. The beam emitted by it heats the organic cells so strongly that the process of evaporation begins. Vessels are immediately sealed, which helps prevent bleeding.
At the end of the intervention, the patient is left under the supervision of doctors for another 24 hours, but exceptions are possible: sometimes the patient is allowed to go home after a few hours. The first four days after the event, you need to come for an examination to the doctor to check the quality of the flow of regenerative processes. For the entire period of rehabilitation, they refuse alcohol, baths, steam rooms, saunas, significant physical exertion - all these factors can provoke bleeding.
