Clinical features

Symptoms may include:

• progressive nasal obstruction
• rhinorrhoea - usually clear; green suggests infection; if serosanguinous, suspect carcinoma
• post nasal drip
• anosmia
• sneezing

Pain suggests secondary sinusitis.

A bleeding polyp may present with epistaxis.

Signs may include:

• hyponasal voice - as if the patient has a cold
• pale grey mucosal sacs inside the nose, usually bilateral; in severe cases, these may prolapse outside the nostril
• polyps are insensitive if probed and mobile; turbinates are sensitive and fixed

In children with cystic fibrosis, polyps that develop before the facial bones fuse may produce hypertelorism. This is a result of pressure in the ethmoid sinuses forcing the growing skull apart.

Nasal polyps may be part of Samter's triad.