Nose Injuries and Disorders

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Basics

• Summary
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

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Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Teenagers
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Your nose is important to your health. It filters the air you breathe, removing dust, germs, and irritants. It warms and moistens the air to keep your lungs and tubes that lead to them from drying out. Your nose also contains the nerve cells that help your sense of smell. When there is a problem with your nose, your whole body can suffer. For example, the stuffy nose of the common cold can make it hard for you to breathe, sleep, or get comfortable.

Many problems besides the common cold can affect the nose. They include

• Deviated septum - a shifting of the wall that divides the nasal cavity into halves
• Nasal polyps - soft growths that develop on the lining of your nose or sinuses
• Nosebleeds
• Rhinitis - inflammation of the nose and sinuses sometimes caused by allergies. The main symptom is a runny nose.
• Nasal fractures, also known as a broken nose

Diagnosis and Tests

• Panoramic Dental X-Ray (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• How to Use Nasal Pump Sprays (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists)
• How to Use Nose Drops (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists)
• Nasal Sprays: How to Use Them Correctly (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Nose Surgery (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)
• Nosebleed, First Aid (VisualDX)
• Septoplasty - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Petroleum Jelly: Safe for a Dry Nose? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Bacterial Nasal Infections (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish
• Broken Nose (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Deviated Septum (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)
• Fibrous Papule of Nose (VisualDX)
• Nosebleeds (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Nosebleeds (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)
• Post-Nasal Drip (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)
• Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis or Laryngeal Papillomatosis (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders) Also in Spanish
• Rhinitis (Hay Fever) (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology) Also in Spanish
• Runny Nose (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Epistaxis (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Nose Diseases (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Quantification of Aerosol Concentrations During Endonasal Instrumentation in the Clinic Setting.
• Article: Expression, Distribution and Role of Aquaporins in Various Rhinologic Conditions.
• Article: Cryosurgical ablation for treatment of common warts on the nasal vestibule.
• Nose Injuries and Disorders -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery
• American Rhinologic Society
• Find an ENT (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)
• National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

Children

• Chronic Nosebleeds: What to Do (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Going with the Flow of Nosebleeds (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Nosebleeds (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• What Makes Me Sneeze? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• What's a Booger? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Why Does My Nose Run? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Nosebleeds (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Choanal atresia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Foreign body in the nose (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Nasal endoscopy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Nasal fracture - aftercare (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Nasal polyps (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Nose fracture (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Nosebleed (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Stuffy or runny nose - adult (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Stuffy or runny nose - children (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish