Nasal polyps are painless noncancerous growth of tissues that lines the mucosa. The mucosa is a wet layer inside your nose that protects its internal lining, sinus, and humidifies the air that you breathe. Nasal polyps often feel like a cold or congestion that won’t go away even with over the counter medications. Hence, it is vital to know the symptoms and warning signs of nasal polyps.

Things you should know about nasal polyps
These polyps can be of different sizes, pink, or yellow-brown in color, and shaped like a teardrop. They may grow on their own or in clusters, in one or both the nostrils at the same time. If they become too large, they can affect breathing and your sense of smell too. They may also bock the sinus and cause infections. Though they affect nearly 4 to 40 % of the population, they affect more men than women. Those who have asthma, sinus infections, and allergies, are more prone to this condition, while children with cystic fibrosis are also more at risk.

Symptoms and warning signs of nasal polyps
Not everyone will show symptoms and warning signs of nasal polyps. However, some common ones are:

• Runny nose
  You might feel that you are suffering from a persistent cold.
• Blocked nose
  Your nose might feel stuffy at all times, making it hard to breathe through the nose, and thus also affecting sleep.
• Postnasal drip
  A feeling of mucus running down the throat is also common in case of nasal polyps.
• Diminished sense of taste
  This is because your sense of smell is closely related to taste. So, when large polyps make smelling difficult, they affect your taste buds too.
• Facial pain
  Though polyps are painless, those who suffer from sinus can face this pain.
• Reduced or no sense of smell
  This happens especially when the polyps become large.
• Continuous feeling of pressure in the head
  If you have this condition then your head will feel heavy.
• Snoring
  This happens because the passage of air is disturbed by the polyps.
• Itching around the eyes
  This occurs when the polyps develop in the sinuses near your eyes.
• Pain in upper teeth
  You’ll sense some pain in your upper teeth as the nerves there are close to the nose.

In some severe cases, the symptoms and warning signs of nasal polyps may also include:

• Obstructive sleep apnea
  This is a serious condition where your breathing stops suddenly when you are sleeping. It happens because of the partial or complete obstruction of the upper airways.
• Double vision
  This occurs if the patient has cystic fibrosis or allergic fungal sinusitis.

To conclude, it is hard to detect symptoms and warning signs of nasal polyps when they are small. They are painless and lack sensation as well, which can add on to the confusion. However, large polyps are easier to detect and should be checked out immediately. Consult a doctor if you notice the symptoms mentioned above or if the symptoms worsen, or if you experience trouble with breathing. If you notice severe swelling around your eyes or cannot see properly, get medical help without delay.