Complications of Nasal Polyps

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Complications of nasal polyps

There are a number of possible complications of nasal polyps:

Infection

The most common complications of nasal polyps is sinus infection (sinusitis) which will be recurrent, difficult to manage and treat, due to the constant inflammation of the nasal passages.

While most sinusitis infection will not generally be very severe in most people, it can develop into a more serious bacterial infection if not treated promptly. This is the main reason why antibiotics are used for sinusitis infections - the prevention of a much more serious bacterial infection.

Malignancy

In a very small number of cases the nasal polyps are actually malignant and need appropriate care to remove them. Since both benign and malignant nasal polyps can occur together, the benign polyps may obscure the malignant ones and this can delay diagnosis until the disease is progressed to an advanced stage.

Sleep apnoea

Another very common complication of nasal polyps is sleep apnoea, which is a very serious sleep disorder that causes breathing to stop several times during sleep. People with very severe nasal polyps who have obstructed breathing in their sinus passages and who cannot breath through their nose at all (or very little), may stop breathing several times during the night while they are sleeping. This is because the nasals passages are blocked, the mouth is also closed or obstructed due to the nasal passages, sinusitis infection, allergy or combination of all and then breathing wont happen.

Regrowth

The most common complication of nasal polyps after surgery is their regrowth, sometimes years later. This requires further surgery, which has further possible complications and risks.

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Last reviewed: 3 January 2009 || Last updated: 6 January 2010

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Disclaimer: This guide is not intended to be used for diagnostic or prescriptive purposes. For any treatment or diagnosis of illness, please see your doctor.

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