Nasal polyps are fleshy swellings that grow from the lining of your nose or your sinuses (the small cavities inside your nose).
Polyps may be yellowish, grey or pink in colour and vary in size. They are shaped like teardrops as they grow and look like grapes on a stem when fully grown.
Nasal polyps grow on their own or in clusters and usually affect both nostrils (one-sided polyps are rare).
They can interfere with breathing if they are particularly large or if they grow in a cluster. They can also reduce your sense of smell by blocking the flow of air to the sensitive areas in the roof of the nose that control smell. See Symptoms, above, for more information.
How common are they?
Nasal polyps are common and are not cancerous (they are benign). Between one and 20 out of every 1,000 people will develop nasal polyps.
Nasal polyps are up to four times more common in men than women and are more common after the age of 40. They are rare in children, although some children with cystic fibrosis may develop them.
Outlook
Nasal polyps can be treated with a steroid spray or steroid drops to shrink the nasal polyps. It can take a week of treatment before you notice any visible improvement (see Treatment, above).
If medication does not work, surgery may be needed to remove the polyps. This usually makes breathing through the nose a lot easier.
