Nasal congestion is actually one of the oldest complaints of human beings. This situation, which is not a problem for some, can often turn our lives into a nightmare. We get headaches, our sleep quality deteriorates, our sense of taste and smell
dulls, and mouth breathing can cause us to have frequent upper respiratory tract infections. So much has been written about nasal congestion that we sometimes feel confused.
We wanted to ask the experts what the misconceptions are. Otorhinolaryngology and
Head and Neck Surgery specialist Op Dr. Bahadır Baykal is a surgeon who is particularly interested in nasal diseases and surgery. First of all, I wonder, what are the causes of nasal congestion?
Nose The causes of obstruction are different. Sometimes a simple bone curvature or swelling of the nasal flesh may cause this condition. We also frequently encounter mass formations (polyps) in the nose that should not be present. Of course, we should not forget allergies and air pollution.
Does air pollution also cause nasal congestion?
Of course, unclean ambient air causes swelling of the nasal meatus and nasal mucosa, which we call turbinates
It is possible. Likewise, nasal congestion is common in smokers. Especially if a person continues to smoke after undergoing nose surgery, his/her nose will start to become blocked after a while. Even
let me tell you something interesting, even frequent
contact with unhealthy air-conditioned air in plazas, hotel rooms, business centers leads to chronic nasal congestion after a while.
How does cigarette smoke cause nasal congestion? There are many smokers in society, what would you recommend?
Cigarette smoke directly disrupts the cleaning action in the nose and sinuses. If the cleaning process is not good, particles, dust and harmful substances remain in the nose and cause swelling of the nasal turbinates (turbinates) and edema of the mucosal tissue. After a while, the congestion increases, and the functions of the sinuses are also affected by this situation. If smoking is stopped, the nose will regain its healthy structure in a short time. My suggestion is to stay away from smoking.
So which allergens cause nasal congestion?
Allergies can occur to many things. po dirt, house dust, animal hair, mold and many other substances you can think of. Sometimes it may cause allergies due to reasons related to your professional environment. Staying away from allergenic substances that cause problems is very important in the treatment. If you are having trouble, allergies can be controlled with medication and vaccination
.
What other reasons can cause allergies?
It is often overlooked, but nasal congestion that occurs after the 3rd month of pregnancy is a common
/> is a complaint. It is caused by the estrogen hormone. I have witnessed that it becomes unbearable for some pregnant women.
The use of contraceptives can also have a similar effect. Although rare, a decrease in thyroid hormone level
can also cause nasal congestion.
What is the most common cause of nasal congestion?
Nasal bone curvature, known as deviation, is known as the most common cause of nasal congestion in society
cases, the enlargement or swelling of the nasal concha, which we call turbinate, causes this complaint more frequently.
So, what kind of treatment approach do you have for turbinate enlargement?
First of all, is the nasal concha enlargement alone? Or is it accompanied by bone curvature called deviation? This
needs to be evaluated. Most of the time, for success in deviation surgery, we perform surgery to reduce the swollen turbinates
at the same time. Sometimes reduction with radiofrequency may be sufficient, and sometimes we may need endoscopic turbinate reduction, i.e. surgery. In patients who do not have nasal curvature, only intervention in the nasal concha is sufficient.
Does anyone with bone curvature have nasal congestion?
Look, no one's inner nasal bone, that is, the middle part, is not straight as if drawn with a ruler. If there is a curvature that narrows the nasal passages, breathing will be affected. Different degrees of obstruction occur depending on the condition of cartilage and bone curvatures. If there are complaints, surgery may be required.
What kind of health problems can nasal congestion cause?
Nasal congestion is often not seen as a significant health problem, but it brings with it many important
problems. For example, sleep disturbance and snoring, severe headache, heart disease, hypertension and taste and smell problems. Nasal deformities are some of the disorders caused by nasal congestion.
Why do nasal bone curvatures occur?
Nasal bone curvature occurs due to congenital recessions due to different development of the facial bones
. Sometimes, it may develop as a result of trauma
affecting the nose during birth or early childhood.
In what cases, other than nasal congestion, do you decide on bone curvature surgery?
If the curvature causes headache, feeling of pressure on the face, recurrent nosebleeds If it causes sinusitis and middle ear infections, it is useful to correct it with surgery. I did not include snoring and sleep apnea in this category
because a curvature severe enough to cause snoring and sleep apnea also causes nasal congestion.
How do you perform deviation surgery?
Generally, the surgery is performed through the nose. The cartilage and bone curvature that narrows the nasal canal is removed,
the middle section of the nose is corrected by reshaping. From time to time, we need an open technique
approach in severe curvatures. We also perform rhinoplasty, especially in cases where the cartilage and bone axis in the middle roof of the nose are displaced and partially weakened.
Are you doing rhinoplasty?
Yes, functional rhinoplasty is a must in many nasal obstruction surgeries for healthy breathing. Since the nose
is a dynamic structure, it would be wrong to think that only the internal curvature causes nasal congestion. Nasal wings, nasal roof, nasal root and axis curvatures are structures that need to be evaluated together with
deviation problem.
I think the nose tampon application, which patients fear the most after nose surgeries, is not applied as frequently
as before, what do you use now? ? How is the recovery process?
Now nose surgeries can be performed without tampons. In simple interventions, nothing may be placed in the nose. In complex surgeries, we may have to keep the corrugated apparatus, which we call silicone, in the nose for a few days
. Silicones are materials that are much more comfortable than tampons, do not cause any discomfort, and allow us to breathe at the same time. The healing process is quite fast. Even in the most severe
surgeries, it takes at least seven months. You can return to social life on the third day. There is a pain that can be alleviated with painkillers.
Is there an age limit for correction of nasal bone curvature?
Anyone over the age of 17 is suitable for this surgery. There is no upper age limit.
Frankly, the possibility of failure after nose surgery scares those who want to have this surgery and
there are many unhappy patients around me, I am curious about your opinion?
I think the most important point here is choosing the right doctor. . In experienced hands, correction surgery is rarely needed after nasal bone curvature. Sometimes revision surgery may be required due to reasons arising from the patient's own cartilage, bone or tissue structure. If the problem is to be solved with minor interventions that last 15-20 minutes, this may be considered reasonable, but most of the time we encounter correction surgeries in which we need to take additional cartilage from the ear area
or ribs; This situation is very distressing for the
patient. I think the first preoperative diagnosis is very important. Most of the time, problems in the middle roof,
nose tip and nose wings are overlooked. Even if the patient's deviation is corrected, he cannot breathe because these problems
are not solved. Be sure, there are those who applied for internal curvature surgery and did not get better despite
surgery. Even if functional rhinoplasty was performed in the first surgery for many patients, there will probably be no need for corrective surgery.
What is the relationship between nasal congestion and the problem of smell?
In fact, patients are very likely to suffer from the problem of smell and taste. He doesn't attach much importance to it, perhaps he consults a doctor late because he thinks it cannot be treated. Studies show that; Dullness of the senses of taste and smell
often develops as a result of chronic nasal congestion that was not treated during childhood. Recognizing odors and creating odor memory begins in childhood, so it is very important to investigate the causes of nasal congestion in children and treat them. It has been determined that one in every four people has a dull sense of smell.
Naturally, when the sense of smell is impaired, the food we eat has no taste. Our sense of taste smells It is closely related to our
acquisition. Loss of smell that occurs in chronic sinusitis, polyp and allergic conditions, turbinate swelling
is corrected by treating the cause. An important reason for loss of smell is the destruction of olfactory nerve cells during a simple upper respiratory tract infection. Unfortunately, in this case, treatment may not always be possible.
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