People suffer from suffocation in nose and blockage because of which they are unable to breathe properly. Most common reasons for having suffocation is because of stuffed nose, cold and flu, etc. But have you ever noticed deformity is nose leading to breathing problems? It is true, many people do not notice but they have a small structural deformity usually from birth or because of nose injury which tends create obstruction in the air flow. This condition is called deviated septum. Its name comes from combining two very general terms, septum which is the centre portion of the nose and deviation means moving away from its path. To know about this condition better, we have our expert to tell you about this nose condition in detail.
What is Deviated Septum?
According to our expert Dr. Tanmay Aggarwal, ENT specialist, Otolaryngologist from Max Super Speciality Hospital, Bangalore to tell us about deviated septum. He explained that this condition occur when thin wall present in the centre of the nasal passage is displaced from its position towards either side. This makes one nasal passage congested or smaller because of which breathing issues occur.
Deviated septum usually does not create much of a problem in breathing in general. Even cases of this are rarely severe; however, if the septum deviation is because of some injury or fracture, then it might expose you to bleeding, crusting or nose, etc. Most people having this condition find it difficult in winters or on high altitudes because of drying effect. Other problems could include swelling of nose and inflammation on the lining of the nose.
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Symptoms of Deviated Septum
Most of the septum displacements do not show any particular symptoms as such. However the deformity leads to problems which are considered as signs or symptoms that you have deviated septum. Also in majority of people, it becomes visible as it forms a type of nose deformity.
1. Obstruction of nostrils
The blockage of air flow can happen in one or both nostrils depending on the severity of case. If a person has significant deviation in the septum formation, then it is possible to have allergies and swelling in the passage. This becomes more evident when a person is suffering from cold or flu.
2. Nosebleeds
Another very common problem of deviated septum is related to nose bleeding. When the surface of your septum becomes dry and rough, then it can increase the risk of nosebleeds in people. Nose bleeding however does not have anything to do with severity.
3. Facial Pain
Pain in the face or nasal passage is possible because this nose condition gives exposure to the person making it hard for the person to breathe. Along with pain in the face, you may also have headache or dizziness. In most of the cases people have pain on either side of the face. This increases over time in nearby surface of nose touch or pressure.
4. Noisy breathing during sleep
It also causes noise during sleep because one air passage becomes thin, it can also result to louder snores during sleeping. Elevated sound while sleeping can also be because of deviated septum or swelling in the nose.
5. Awareness of Nasal Cycle
Sometimes you may have noticed that there is an obstruction in alternate sides of the nasal passage. This is because of the changes that occur in nasal cycle. In majority of cases people having deviated septum aren’t aware of its indication of obstruction in nose. Therefore knowing your nasal cycle can be vital in determining this condition.'
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Causes of Deviated Septum in Nose
The cause of deviated septum is because of deformity related nose. The thin wall that separates your nasal passage is displaced to one side by either of the two conditions-
1. From birth- most people who have this deformity is from birth. This is not a condition which can develop over the years or because of certain disease. Deviated septum is affected in womb itself, so basically it is there from birth.
2. Because of an injury- deviated septum can also be occurred because of a nasal fracture or injury which results to deformation of septum. This condition could more often lead to complications and move out of position. Those people that have had such an accident that impacts their nose can lead to this problem. However in those cases, it becomes particularly difficult to take part in sport activities or adventure sport.
Complications of having Deviated Septum
- It is possible to have dry nose that can affect your breathing ability
- Feeling congestion most of the times or pressure in the nasal passage that is often irritating
- Having disturbed sleep is one of the common issues that people suffer from. One or both nasal passage may be blocked that could lead to improper sleep
- Excess nosebleeds- this could get severe because it may affect other nerves and functions to a certain extent.
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