Chronic rhinosinusitis and nasal polyps

Chronic rhinosinusitis is inflammation of the lining of the nose and sinuses lasting more than twelve weeks. Some people also develop nasal polyps, soft swellings of the lining that can block the nose and reduce the sense of smell.

It is more accurately called rhinosinusitis, since the nose and sinuses are inflamed together. It is acute when symptoms last under twelve weeks (the familiar bad-cold pattern, usually viral and settling on its own) and chronic beyond twelve weeks. The diagnosis rests on two or more symptoms, one of them nasal blockage or discharge, together with facial pressure or a reduced sense of smell.

Common symptoms

• Persistent blocked or runny nose
• Reduced or absent sense of smell
• Facial pressure or fullness
• Mucus draining down the throat

Treatment

Chronic rhinosinusitis is not a single condition. It covers several different patterns of inflammation, and the treatment that helps one pattern does little for another. Many people arrive having tried the usual sprays and rinses without benefit and conclude that nothing works. More often the treatment was never matched to their particular disease.

Getting that match right is the whole point of a specialist assessment. Mr Gane identifies the type of inflammation at work, what has genuinely been tried and how, and then tunes with evidence and experience the treatment to the individual. Whether better treatment technique, cutting-edge biologic therapies or various types of sinus surgery, it is this calibration which can, more than any single spray or operation, change the outcome. Chronic rhinosinusitis, and the science behind it, is Mr Gane’s main clinical and research interest.

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This page is general information and not a substitute for individual medical advice.