Nasal Polyps Treatment in Sharjah
Medically reviewed by Dar Al Kamal Team
What are nasal polyps?
Nasal polyps are soft, painless, non-cancerous growths that hang from the lining of the nose and sinuses, often likened to peeled grapes or teardrops. They grow when that lining stays inflamed for months or years, swelling with fluid until it bulges into the airway. They usually appear on both sides, in the upper part of the nose where the sinuses drain.
Because they grow slowly, many people put the symptoms down to a lingering cold or dust allergy: a nose that feels blocked all the time, a runny nose or mucus dripping down the back of the throat, snoring, mouth breathing at night, and a sense of smell and taste that has faded. That fading smell is often the clue that points to polyps rather than a simple allergy.
Polyps are closely linked with asthma. Some people also react to aspirin and similar painkillers with wheezing or a streaming nose, and this combination tends to produce polyps that are more persistent. Mention any such reaction at your visit, and keep taking your usual medicines unless your doctor advises otherwise.
Who needs it
Treatment suits anyone whose polyps cause blockage, poor sleep, repeated sinus infections or loss of smell. At Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah, the ENT surgeon looks inside the nose with a thin endoscope at the clinic visit, which usually confirms polyps at that same visit and shows how far they extend.
One finding gets particular attention: a polyp on only one side of the nose. Ordinary inflammatory polyps almost always grow on both sides, so a one-sided growth is examined carefully, often with a scan and a small tissue sample, to identify exactly what it is before treatment is planned.
Medicines come first for most people. Surgery joins the plan when polyps stay large despite a fair trial of sprays, rinses and tablet courses, or when they come back quickly. The choice is made together, weighing how much the symptoms affect you, what the endoscope and any scan show, and how well you tolerate the medicines. Where allergy seems to play a part, allergy testing can be arranged by referral, and asthma care links in with your chest doctor.
What happens
The foundation is a steroid nasal spray or drops to shrink the swollen lining, together with saltwater rinses that clear mucus and let the medicine reach the polyps. Technique decides success here: the spray is aimed towards the outer wall of the nostril, with the head tilted slightly forward, and drops work best lying back with the head tipped. Your doctor demonstrates both at the clinic.
For larger polyps, the doctor may prescribe a short course of steroid tablets to shrink them quickly, which often brings a welcome return of smell. Because tablets affect the whole body, courses are kept short and spaced out, and the doctor decides when they are suitable. Infection, if present, is treated with medicine for that purpose.
When surgery is chosen, the polyps are removed through the nostrils with an endoscope, usually together with opening the sinus channels they grow from. This is described on the sinus surgery page. Removed tissue is sent to the laboratory for examination.
Preparing for it
Bring a list of every medicine and spray you use, including any bought over the counter, and note how long you have used each one. If you have asthma, bring your inhalers and recent test results. Write down any reaction you have had to painkillers, since this shapes the plan.
Before the first visit, it helps to rate your blockage and sense of smell on a simple scale from nought to ten. Repeating the score at follow-up gives you and the doctor a clear measure of progress. If you fast in Ramadan, ask how to fit sprays and rinses around the fast; many people use them at suhoor and iftar.
Afterwards
Polyps respond to treatment, and the aim afterwards is keeping them small. Daily spray and rinses continue as a long-term habit, much like an inhaler for asthma, and regular follow-up lets the doctor check the nose with the endoscope. Keeping asthma well controlled helps the nose as well.
Sharjah's dust and sandstorms, and long hours in dry air conditioning, keep the lining irritated. Rinsing after dusty days, a bedroom humidifier and staying indoors during sandstorms all help. Chlorinated pool water can sting a sensitive nose; a nose clip or a rinse after swimming eases this.
Contact the clinic if your blockage or loss of smell returns, if you have nosebleeds from the spray, or if you develop thick, discoloured discharge with fever. Seek urgent care for swelling or redness around the eye, double vision, a severe headache or stiff neck, or difficulty breathing.
Cost and insurance
Most UAE insurance plans cover ENT consultation, nasal endoscopy and prescribed sprays for nasal polyps. Scans and surgery usually need pre-approval, and insurers often ask for a record of the medicines already tried, so keep your prescriptions and clinic notes. Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah can help you confirm your cover on 06 599 7777.
Related services
Frequently asked questions
Are nasal polyps cancer?
Nasal polyps are not cancer; they are soft, benign swellings of an inflamed nasal lining. Polyps on both sides are almost always of this ordinary type. A growth on one side only is examined more closely, sometimes with a scan and a tissue sample, to rule out other causes.
Can nasal polyps go away without surgery?
Many nasal polyps shrink enough with steroid sprays or drops, saltwater rinses and occasional short tablet courses that surgery is never needed. Larger polyps, or those that return quickly, may need removal. Your ENT surgeon judges this from your symptoms and what the endoscope shows.
Do nasal polyps come back after treatment?
Nasal polyps can come back after treatment, including after surgery, because the tendency of the lining to become inflamed remains. Continuing a daily spray and rinses, keeping asthma controlled and attending follow-up keeps regrowth slow and small. Early review when symptoms return allows treatment to be stepped up in time.
What are the risks of nasal polyp treatment?
Steroid sprays can cause a dry nose, crusting or minor nosebleeds, which usually settle with better technique or a change of product. Steroid tablets affect the whole body, which is why courses are kept short and limited in number; they can raise blood sugar, disturb sleep and mood, and are used with care in people with diabetes. Surgery carries its own risks, explained on the sinus surgery page, and polyps can return whatever treatment is used.
Will I get my sense of smell back?
Your sense of smell often improves once polyps shrink or are removed, because air can again reach the smell area high in the nose. Recovery varies, and it is less predictable when smell has been absent for many years. Keeping up the spray helps protect any improvement.
Why do nasal polyps and asthma go together?
Nasal polyps and asthma often go together because the nose and lungs share the same type of lining, and the same inflammation can affect both. Treating the nose well often makes asthma easier to control. People who also react to aspirin-type painkillers tend to have more persistent polyps and should mention it to their doctor.
Can children get nasal polyps?
Nasal polyps are uncommon in young children, so a child with polyps is usually assessed for an underlying cause with the pediatric team. Swollen adenoids are a far more common reason for a child's blocked nose, and the ENT surgeon can tell the two apart on examination.
Is nasal polyp treatment covered by insurance in the UAE?
Most UAE insurance plans cover assessment, endoscopy and medical treatment for nasal polyps, while scans and surgery usually need pre-approval. Keeping a record of the sprays and courses you have tried helps approval. Call Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah on 06 599 7777 to confirm your cover.
Departments
Book an appointment
Tell us your preferred day and time. Our team calls you back to confirm.