Dealing with nasal polyps is just one part of the job for doctors who specialize in issues surrounding the ear, nose, and throat, though the scope is much wider.
Identifying symptoms and presenting a solution before problems worsen are just two parts of an ENT doctor’s day. HealthScene Ohio spoke with Dr. Sophia Omoro, who specializes in Otolaryngology and practices at Lima Memorial Health System, to bring more awareness to the field, and to highlight nasal polyps and other medical issues that are commonly seen within it.
HealthScene Ohio: What are nasal polyps?
Dr. Sophia Omoro: One of the more common diseases of the nose is nasal polyps. Polyps just mean that the tissue in the nose forms these grape-like extensions, which are called polyps.
HSO: What happens when someone has nasal polyps?
SO: When you have polyps in your nose, not only may it cause obstruction so you can’t breathe and perform regular functions of the nose such as smell, but it obstructs the flow of mucus, which most of us produce naturally. When there’s an obstruction like that, you can get an infection on top of it.
HSO: What causes them to occur?
SO: When we have allergies or irritating things that we’re breathing in the air, some of us just get the stuffy nose, runny nose, watery eyes, itchy eyes, coughing. But for some of us, our bodies react by lining the nose, forming these extensions, and people with allergies are prone to developing polyps. It’s mostly people who have reactive airways; people who react to allergies are prone to getting polyps.
HSO: How are they treated? Is surgery typically needed?
SO: Treatment of polyps involves medical therapy, such as nasal sprays. Some (patients) are very responsive to that, and some need surgery to remove them. Overall, as a surgeon, we like to use medications where we can first, and certainly, people with mild polyps respond very well.
HSO: What sorts of people are most likely to get polyps?
SO: You can get polyps pretty much at any age, but we tend to see them in middle to older age groups … and people who have allergies, people who have asthma and people who have other certain medical conditions.
HSO: Can you describe what sinusitis is?
SO: Sinuses are cavities that we all have in our bones and head. We have a pair above the eyes, we have another in between the eyes. In an ideal situation, these are full of air and nothing else. When someone has sinusitis, it means that one, two or all of these sinuses are inflamed, and when they’re infected, they’re usually full of fluid. Resulting symptoms are fevers, chills, pus draining out of the nose or back of the throat, coughing, headache, toothache and, when it’s really bad, eyes running.
HSO: What causes sinusitis?
SO: When you have sinusitis, it might be from a bacterial infection that is affecting the sinuses, or one affecting the upper airways. People whose allergies are severe and untreated can also get sinusitis.
HSO: What kind of treatment is involved?
SO: They may need antibiotics and they may need to rinse out their sinus pathways with saline and nasal sprays. They may need to manage their allergies better so that their passageways can remain open and sinuses drain naturally, but there are cases when we need to go in with surgery, clean out the sinuses and open the drainage pathways.
HSO: Who gets sinusitis? Is it common in a particular age group?
SO: There’s not a specific age relation to sinusitis. It’s more anatomy and the environment. I tell people that the nose and sinuses are connected and, again, people with those environmental issues – such as bad allergies, hyperreactive airways, and asthma – can get sinusitis. There’s not a certain age group; it’s just what you’re predisposed to in terms of the environment, your genetics and also congenital problems.
HSO: What are some other areas within your field that you deal with?
SO: Ear, nose and throat doctors deal with anything in the head and neck except the brain and the eyes. We deal with hearing loss with kids, but more commonly in adults, and we deal with diseases that affect the mouth. That includes any cancers, any tongue problems, any lining of the mouth problems. Moving on to the throat, people come to see us with problems with their voice, swallowing problems, vocal cord problems. Going on into the neck area, there are a lot of glands that we deal with.
Matthew Kent is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
About the Expert
Dr. Sophia Omoro specializes in Otolaryngology and practices at Lima Memorial Health System in Lima, Ohio. She earned her medical degree from Tulane University in New Orleans in 2002.
