A sinus infection can be frustrating enough without nasal polyps adding further blockage and inflammation. When these soft noncancerous growths obstruct the sinus openings, sinus infection treatment will need to do more than address the infection. For long-term relief, shrinking the polyps and improving drainage is often necessary.
Why Nasal Polyps Complicate Sinus Infection Treatment
Nasal polyps can affect sinus infection treatment well after the first round of antibiotics, influencing drainage, follow-up care and long-term symptom relief. Here’s a closer look at how your Atlanta doctor can treat nasal polyps alongside a sinus infection.
Clearing Up a Sinus Infection Does Not Remove Nasal Polyps
A sinus infection and nasal polyps typically need separate treatment plans. Many sinus infections are viral and are treated with self-care and over-the-counter medication. For a more persistent bacterial infection, antibiotics may be prescribed. However, in both cases these treatments will not shrink nasal polyps.
As the sinus infection treatment starts to work, infection symptoms should begin to improve. But for many people, the problem is that congestion, pressure, and reduced sense of smell remain because the polyps and inflammation have not been resolved.
Polyp Blockage Can Limit Sinus Drainage
One important thing to understand about nasal polyps is that their location can matter as much as their size. If they grow near the small openings connecting the sinuses to the nasal cavity, airflow drops and mucus can struggle to drain properly.
At this stage, treating these polyps involves saline irrigation and intranasal corticosteroids. These treatments work to clear up mucus, calm inflammation and shrink the polyps. Additionally, oral corticosteroids are reserved for more significant blockage and are not meant for long-term use.
Persistent Polyps Can Change the Treatment Plan
When saline rinses and steroid sprays aren’t enough on their own or polyps keep coming back, your doctor may look at additional treatments. The exact treatment will be influenced by how severe the symptoms are, how much the polyps have grown, how well past treatments worked, and whether breathing or smell has been affected.
For some patients whose symptoms remain inadequately controlled, a newer class of injectable medications, known as biologics, may be an option. Rather than fight infection, these biologics target the inflammation process itself. And when other treatments haven’t produced the expected improvement, surgery is also a possibility.
Nasal Polyp Treatment Can Continue After an Infection Clears Up
Even after your sinus infection clears up you may notice the polyps are still there, since they result from chronic inflammation rather than the infection itself. Sticking with saline rinses or steroid sprays helps keep that inflammation in check, and can prevent congestion and blocked drainage from coming back. Your doctor will also want to see you for follow-up visits, checking whether the polyps have decreased in size, grown, or stayed the same.
Finding the Cause of Persistent Sinus Symptoms
When sinus symptoms persist, it’s not always obvious whether an infection, nasal polyps or both are to blame. Sinus care and nasal allergy treatment providers start by looking at how long symptoms have lasted, and whether they keep coming back. A physical exam can often catch visible polyps, while endoscopy gives a better view of areas an exam will miss. If more information is needed, a CT scan can show inflammation, blockage, and how far the polyps extend.
Nasal Polyp and Sinus Infection Treatment in Atlanta
Chacko Allergy, Asthma and Sinus Center diagnoses and treats nasal polyps and chronic sinus infections at our treatment centers across the Atlanta area. For expert help managing sinusitis and other respiratory conditions, contact our team today. Call (678) 668-4688 or request an appointment.
