Treatment of nasal polyps is done according to the severity of symptoms. If the patient does not experience any symptom, no treatment is required. Medication for nasal polyps includes steroids, antihistamine, and antibiotics and surgery is kept for severe cases.
What Is The Treatment Of Choice For Nasal Polyps?
There are no “one-shoe-fits-all” treatment strategies for nasal polyps. The nasal polyps’ treatment is given on the basis of the severity of the condition. Surgery remains the last options when other treatments failed to deliver the results. Further, the treatment strategy also depends upon the underlying condition. The primary treatment is nasal spray and oral medications which may include steroids to reduce inflammation and swelling, antihistamine to prevent allergies and antibiotics for a present infection or any threat to infection. If the patient suffers from asthma, the surgery is done as an inpatient as the condition of the patient is monitored post-surgery3.
Various treatment options are available for treating nasal polyps. Some treatments are normal while others are aggressive. Following are the various treatments for nasal polyps:
Nasal Medications. Nasal medications are used to relieve the patients from swelling and inflammation due to nasal polyps2. These nasal medications either shrink the size of polyps or assist in complete removal. Nasal medication, apart from the main therapy, may also be advised along with the oral medications and also after the surgical removal of nasal polyps. The drug under this category includes fluticasone, mometasone, budesonide, beclomethasone, triamcinolone, and ciclesonide.
Oral Medications. Various oral medications including steroids are used to manage the symptoms of nasal polyps. If the nasal steroids failed to provide relief of the patient either the nasal spray is stopped and oral steroids are recommended or oral steroids may be given along with nasal steroidal sprays. Oral steroids such as prednisone are used in nasal polyps. Other drugs that can be prescribed include antihistamine and antibiotics2.
Injectable Medications. Injectable steroidal medications are used in severe cases of nasal polyps. Injecting a steroid directly into polyp is not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration because of the visual loss reported in three patients due to intranasal steroidal injection3.
Surgery. Surgery is required in severe conditions. Surgery helps to remove the polyps and also reduces the chance of recurrence by opening the middle meatus cleft3.
Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery is the most common surgery for removing nasal polyps. The tube along with a camera is inserted in the nasal cavity and with the help of an instrument, the nasal polyp is removed. The chances of recurrence are high in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis or with multiple nasal polyps.
Symptoms Of Nasal Polyps
Nasal polyps are the condition characterized by the presence of benign outgrowth occurring in the lining of the nasal cavity. In many cases, nasal polyps are small and do not cause any symptoms. In such cases, no treatment is required. However, when the growth of nasal polyps is large, it causes discomfort and requires treatment. Symptoms of nasal polyps are1:
Runny Nose. The patient with nasal polyps experiences a runny nose and the condition may be chronic.
Postnasal Drip. Because of the disruption in the draining system, mucus flows into the throat.
Poor Sense Of Smell. Nasal polyps causes changes in the smelling capacity of the patient. In most cases, the smelling capacity cannot be regained even after treating nasal polyp.
Sleep Apnea. As the nose of the person gets stuffed due to mucus accumulation, the person feels difficulty in breathing. This may lead to sleep apnea.
Vision Problem. Vision problem in the patient may occur in case of severe infection especially if the infection is caused due to fungus.
Blocked Nose. Nasal polyps change the internal anatomy of the nose. Thus, secreted mucus gets accumulated in the nose leading to a blocked nasal cavity.
Conclusion
There is no single treatment strategy that can be applied to all the patients with nasal polyps. The treatment depends upon the severity of the disease and underlying diseases. Post-surgical monitoring is required in patients with asthma.
Also Read:
- Can Nasal Polyps Make You Dizzy & Can They Cause Fatigue?
- Is Nasal Polyps A Serious Condition & Can It Be Reversed?
- What Is The Prognosis For Nasal Polyps?
- Alternative Treatment For Nasal Polyps & Is It A Progressive Disease?
- How To Diagnose Nasal Polyps And What Is The Best Medicine For It?
- Who Is At Risk For Nasal Polyps & Is There A Blood Test For It?
