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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staff
Your nasal passages and sinuses are lined with mucous membrane, tissue that secretes sticky fluids (mucus). The membrane contains many tiny blood vessels and is covered in tiny hair-like structures called cilia.
When you inhale, the nasal passages and sinuses provide a sort of entryway with lots of "nooks and crannies" where air can be warmed and moistened before traveling to your lungs. The air is also cleaned. Tiny particles in the air stick to the mucus, and the cilia sweep them to the front of your nose or to the back of your throat.
Development of nasal polyps
Nasal polyps can form when the mucous membrane of your nasal passages and sinuses is chronically inflamed. A nasal or sinus condition is generally defined as chronic if the signs and symptoms of inflammation last more than 12 weeks.
It's unclear exactly how chronic inflammation leads to the formation of polyps, but the response of your immune system in the mucous membrane appears to contribute.
Nasal polyps may develop anywhere throughout the nasal passages or sinuses, but they appear most often near the openings to your sinuses.
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- Tips to remember: What is allergy testing? American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. http://www.aaaai.org/patients/publicedmat/tips/whatisallergytesting.stm. Accessed Jan. 10, 2009.
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