Nose Injuries and Disorders

Also called: Nasal disorders

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Basics

Summary
Diagnosis and Tests
Treatments and Therapies

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Related Issues
Specifics

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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)

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
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