Do You Have Nasal Polyps? A Breakdown of Sinus Conditions
Health ConditionsEar, Nose, & Throat

Is It Nasal Polyps or Something Else?

From nasal congestion to loss of taste and smell, nasal polyps can resemble many other sinus conditions. Here’s how to tell the difference.

Is It Nasal Polyps or Something Else?
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Updated on July 31, 2025
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You may develop nasal polyps when your nasal passages or sinuses are constantly irritated and swollen. These soft, noncancerous growths can be found in nasal passages and sinuses and form from the thin, soft tissue (mucous membranes) that line these areas.

Because nasal polyps are small and lack sensation, you may not realize you have them. Although nasal polyps can cause certain symptoms, not everyone has symptoms.

 What’s more, nasal polyps share symptoms with other conditions affecting the nose and sinuses, making it tricky to tell if you have them.

“Nasal polyps often manifest with changes in sense of smell, nasal obstruction, congestion, and mucus either being blown out of the nose or being felt as postnasal drip,” says Alexander Schneider, MD, an otolaryngologist at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Illinois. (Postnasal drip is the flow of mucus from the back of the nose down into the throat.)

Nasal polyps often develop in people with chronic rhinosinusitis, a medical condition involving inflammation of the nose and sinus cavities that’s reported to affect almost 12 percent of the adult population.

 People with asthma, allergies, repeat infections, or nasal inflammation are also more likely to get polyps.

So, how can you tell if it’s nasal polyps or something else? Read on to narrow it down. Note that symptoms may vary from person to person, so always check with your doctor to get a proper diagnosis.

Illustrative graphic titled How Nasal Polyps Affect the Body shows headache, sinus pressure, congestion or runny nose, loss of smell, loss of taste, sleep problems, snoring and cough. Everyday Health logo.
Nasal polyps can cause any or all these symptoms.Everyday Health

Nasal Polyps: Congestion, Runny Nose, Loss of Smell or Taste, and Sinus Pressure

Small nasal polyps may not cause any symptoms. But larger polyps can lead to:

  • Headache
  • Loss of smell or taste
  • Nasal congestion or runny nose
  • Nosebleeds
  • Postnasal drip
  • Pain or pressure in the sinuses
  • Snoring
  • Cough
  • Frequent asthma attacks in people who have asthma
  • Repeat sinus infections in people with sinusitis
  • Sleep disorders such as sleep apnea
  • Breathing problems
Because nasal polyps cause many of the same symptoms as other sinus conditions, it can be tough to know what you’re experiencing. Polyps can be confused with acute rhinosinusitis, allergic rhinitis, and nonallergic rhinitis.

Sometimes, polyps can appear on only one side.

 When this happens, the growth may be a tumor or another one-sided condition, such as a sinus mucocele, says Chester F. Griffiths, MD, the director of the eye, ear, and skull base center and head and neck surgery and endoscopic skull base surgery at Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, California.

8 Signs and Symptoms of Nasal Polyps

If you think you have nasal polyps, you may be right!
8 Signs and Symptoms of Nasal Polyps

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Acute Rhinosinusitis: Congestion, Tenderness, Fatigue, and Fever

Acute rhinosinusitis involves sinus inflammation that’s caused by an infection, most commonly viruses like rhinoviruses, which is responsible for the common cold. Like nasal polyps, signs and symptoms of acute rhinosinusitis often include:

  • Congestion
  • Sinus pain and tenderness
  • Headache
  • Changes in smell
But you may also experience fatigue and fever with acute rhinosinusitis. Plus, most cases of acute rhinosinusitis resolve on their own within a week to 10 days. But sometimes, you may develop a bacterial infection that leads to chronic rhinosinusitis.

Chronic Rhinosinusitis: Long-Term Congestion and Tenderness

Like the acute version, chronic rhinosinusitis is characterized by inflammation of the nose and sinus cavities. The condition is considered chronic when the symptoms associated with acute rhinosinusitis — with the exception of fever — have gone on for more than 12 weeks, despite medical treatment.

Chronic rhinosinusitis occurs after an irritation (infection, allergies, or trauma, for example) causes blockage of the sinus opening, leading to remodeling of the sinus lining with more mucus and inflammatory cells.

 People with allergic rhinitis (more on this next) and asthma are more likely to have chronic rhinosinusitis, but it can also be caused by a deviated nasal septum or an immune system deficiency.

While chronic rhinosinusitis is often associated with nasal polyps, you can also have it without polyps.

Allergic Rhinitis: Congestion, Itching, Sneezing, and Runny Nose

Also known as hay fever or seasonal allergies, allergic rhinitis is a group of symptoms affecting the nose. When someone inhales an allergen such as pollen or dust, their immune system reacts by releasing histamine and other immune system chemicals. This response causes symptoms such as:

  • Congestion
  • Runny nose
  • Sneezing
  • Itchy skin, mouth, or eyes
Symptoms are often seasonal and appear during specific times of the year, such as spring, summer, and early fall. But it’s possible to experience symptoms perennially (year-round).

Nonallergic Rhinitis: Congestion, Runny Nose, and Cough That Comes and Goes

Some people who experience allergic rhinitis–like symptoms don’t actually have allergies. This condition is known as nonallergic rhinitis.

While the triggers vary, they may include certain odors or irritants in the air, viral infections, hormone changes, weather changes, certain foods (such as hot or spicy foods and alcoholic beverages), and some medications (aspirin, ibuprofen, and beta-blockers, for example).

Your doctor may diagnose nonallergic rhinitis after ruling out allergic causes with a skin prick or blood test.

 But there may be other clues that you have nonallergic rhinitis: Your symptoms typically come and go year-round and don’t include the itchy nose, eyes, or throat associated with allergies.

Nonallergic rhinitis can also be linked to nasal polyps, but the only way to tell is to get a physical exam.

Deviated Nasal Septum: Single-Sided Congestion, Repeat Sinus Infections, and Nosebleeds

If sinus congestion and tenderness is limited to one side, you may have a deviated nasal septum. This occurs when the thin wall (nasal septum) between your nasal passages is off-center, making one nasal passage smaller.

As many as 80 percent of people have a nasal septum that’s slightly off-center, but if the deviation is pronounced, it can block airflow on one side of the nose and cause congestion.

The resulting inflammation may lead to repeat sinus infections, mouth breathing during sleep, and nosebleeds.

Sinus Mucocele: Single-Sided Congestion, Facial Swelling, and Headaches

Another potential cause of single-sided congestion is sinus mucocele. Mucoceles are lesions (benign cystic growths) that gradually expand within the sinuses.

They can develop when the sinuses get blocked, leading the damaged tissue to build up. “It creates a cyst that continues to grow,” Dr. Griffiths says. If the cyst gets big enough, it can push into bone and even the eye socket, he notes. Symptoms often include:

  • Nasal congestion
  • Headaches
  • Facial pain

The Takeaway

  • Nasal polyps often cause congestion, loss of smell, and sinus pressure, and can sometimes be mistaken for other sinus conditions.
  • Certain symptoms, like one-sided congestion, might suggest other conditions such as a deviated septum or sinus mucocele, which also warrant an exam by a healthcare provider.
  • If you suspect you have nasal polyps or a related condition due to persistent symptoms, see a healthcare provider for an accurate diagnosis.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Nasal Polyps. Cleveland Clinic. January 16, 2024.
  2. Nasal Polyps. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI). December 27, 2023.
  3. What Is Chronic Rhinosinusitis With Nasal Polyps (CRSwNP)? Allergy & Asthma Network.
  4. Acute sinusitis: Symptoms & causes. Mayo Clinic. August 29, 2023.
  5. Chronic sinusitis: Symptoms & causes. Mayo Clinic. September 19, 2023.
  6. Kaliniak S et al. Remodeling of Paranasal Sinuses Mucosa Functions in Response to Biofilm-Induced Inflammation. Journal of Inflammation Research. February 2024.
  7. Sinusitis: Overview. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI). May 15, 2025.
  8. Hay Fever. American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. June 17, 2020.
  9. Nonallergic rhinitis: Symptoms & causes. Mayo Clinic. March 14, 2023.
  10. Nonallergic rhinitis: Diagnosis & treatment. Mayo Clinic. March 14, 2023.
  11. Deviated septum: Symptoms & causes. Mayo Clinic. April 15, 2025.
  12. Deviated Septum. American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.
  13. Sinus Mucocele. Yale Medicine.
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Jessica Lee, MD

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Jessica Lee, MD, practices general otolaryngology at Charleston ENT and Allergy in South Carolina. After several years in clinical and surgical practice, Dr. Lee wanted to learn more about the impact of nutrition, activity, and sleep on general health and ear, nose, and throat health, so she pursued additional training in integrative, lifestyle, and functional medicine topics and became board-certified in lifestyle medicine in 2021.

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