When the mucous membrane of the nose swells, we can speak of hypertrophy of the turbinates; but it’s not just the cold that causes this disease …
Turbinate hypertrophy is a chronic condition that affects the respiratory mucosa inside the nose. The turbinates are small ossicles lined with highly vascularized mucosa (rich in capillaries), which swells in the presence of certain factors. Colds caused by viruses and allergic rhinitis are the main causes of mucosal enlargement , which obstructs the nasal passages and causes the unpleasant sensation of a stuffy nose. But it is not certain that the problem only concerns the nose.
What is turbinate hypertrophy?
The respiratory mucosa that lines the turbinates is very sensitive and reacts with an unpleasant swelling to various factors. Colds, both viral and allergic, are only one of the causes of turbinate hypertrophy: stress , emotion, a sudden change in temperature, inhalation of irritants and smoking are also other triggers.
But some studies have shown that this pathology could also be caused by food-related inflammation . We know that there are foods that can trigger an inflammatory state in particularly sensitive people. It is important to understand if the hypertrophy may depend on a food inflammation, to act in the correct way.
Symptoms of turbinate hypertrophy
This pathology manifests itself with quite various symptoms: a feeling of stuffiness in the nose which is accentuated upon awakening, difficulty breathing , increased mucus production, itchy nose, sneezing, reduced sense of smell, epistaxis (nosebleed), headache hearing loss, dry cough .
As anticipated, it is essential to understand the cause of turbinate hypertrophy for a correct diagnosis and to implement an adequate therapeutic protocol. After ruling out allergies and viral rhinitis, tests must be carried out to find out if the disease may be caused by food inflammation.
Treatment for turbinate hypertrophy
For milder forms, the doctor may prescribe drug therapy to combat the problem. Antibiotics, antihistamines and cortisone nasal sprays are the main treatments. In more serious cases, surgery can be used for turbinate hypertrophy. This is an unblocking operation that allows you to restore the normal size of the mucous membranes.
Once the problem is resolved, it is important to prevent it from happening again. If the hypertrophy is caused by a food-related inflammation , it is therefore necessary to undergo a food control to reduce the inflammatory state and thus prevent possible recurrence of the turbinates.
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