Approximately 4% of the people across the world are affected by nasal polyps. Nasal polyps are four times more prevalent in men as compared to women. Unfortunately, there’s no clear cause of nasal polyps. However, it has been noted that youngsters and middle-aged individuals are more vulnerable to nasal polyps as compared to others.

Who is most likely to develop nasal polyps?
There are a few people who are at a higher risk of developing nasal polyps than others. These include people suffering from:

• Asthma
• Hay fever
• Cystic fibrosis
• Vulnerability to aspirin

What are nasal polyps ?
Before talking about the symptoms and warning signs of nasal polyps, let’s understand what nasal polyps are. Any benign growth in the interiors of the nose could be the development of polyps. They are in the shape of grapes or teardrops and are primarily painless and soft. Though, smaller polyps will not be troublesome, if they grow larger, they’ll have their own set of consequences, such as:

Troubled breathing: Since nasal polyps block the airways, they inhibit you from breathing directly via the nose.

Loss of olfactory sense: Since the nasal polyps block the airways in one’s nose, they tend to restrict the olfactory sense. Though this isn’t everlasting, it will persist till the time the polyps are present inside the nose.

Frequent sinus or nasal infections: Though infection is the real cause of nasal polyps, it might make a person vulnerable to other infections more frequently.

However, nasal polyps are not necessarily painful unless they grow in size, or they grow severe because of another infection. Unfortunately, they can occur again even if one got them removed and treated.

Symptoms and warning signs of nasal polyps
At times, if the nasal polyps can be seen with the naked eye, it wouldn’t be hard for a person to recognize them. Furthermore, nasal polyps can also lead to sinus, which is often severe and lasts for more than 12 weeks. Though this isn’t a giveaway sign of nasal polyps, it certainly indicates that something is wrong. Some of the warning signs of nasal polyps are:

• Loss of sense of flavor or taste
• Headaches
• Facial Pain
• Loss of sense of smell
• Congestion in the nose
• Itchiness in the areas around the eyes
• A feeling of stuffiness in the nose
• Forced breathing from the mouth
• Snoring
• Pain in the upper tooth
• Constant feeling of pressure on the forehead and the face
• Postnasal drip
• Runny nose, which produces colored or clear mucus
• Sleep apnea

When one experiences either one or more of the listed symptoms, they should immediately get in touch with a physician or an Ear Nose, and Throat (ENT) specialist. In case one is facing any difficulty in breathing normally via their nose, they should immediately consult a doctor before the condition worsens.