Nasal septum deviation
or deviated nasal septum (DNS) is a common physical disorder of the nose,
involving a displacement of the nasal septum. The nasal septum is the wall that
separates the left and right nostrils. A centered septum allows air to flow
equally through each nostril. In a deviated nasal septum the wall is not
centered. A deviated septum is a condition in which the nasal septum is
significantly off center, or crooked, making breathing difficult. Most people
have some sort of imbalance in the size of their breathing passages. In fact,
estimates indicate that 80% of people, most unknowingly, have some sort of
misalignment to their nasal septum. Only the more severe imbalances cause
significant breathing problems.
Aetiology
and Risk factors:
A deviated septum
occurs when your nasal septum — the thin wall that separates your right and
left nasal passages — is displaced to one side.
A deviated septum can
be caused by:
·
A condition present
at birth. In some cases, a deviated septum occurs
during fetal development and is apparent at birth.
·
Injury to the nose. A deviated septum can also be the result
of an injury that causes the nasal septum to be moved out of position. In
infants, such an injury may occur during childbirth. In children and adults, a
wide array of accidents may lead to a nose injury and deviated septum — from
tripping on a step to colliding with another person on the sidewalk. Trauma to
the nose most commonly occurs during contact sports, active play or roughhousing,
or automobile accidents.
The normal aging
process may affect nasal structures, worsening a deviated septum over time.
Also, changes in the amount of swelling of nasal tissues, because of developing
rhinitis or rhinosinusitis, can accentuate the narrowing of a nasal passage
from a deviated septum, resulting in nasal obstruction.
For some people, a
deviated septum is present at birth — occurring during fetal development or due
to injury during childbirth. After birth, a deviated septum is most commonly
caused by an injury that moves your nasal septum out of place. Risk factors
include:
·
Playing contact sports
·
Not wearing your seat
belt while riding in a motorized vehicle
Clinical Features:
·
The
most common symptom of a deviated septum is nasal congestion, with one side of
the nose being more congested than the other. Due to this affected person may
suffer from difficulty in breathing.
·
Obstruction
of one or both nostrils. This obstruction can make it difficult to breathe
through the nostril or nostrils. This may be more noticeable when you have a
cold (upper respiratory tract infection) or allergies that can cause your nasal
passages to swell and narrow.
·
Recurrent
sinus infections is one of the effect of a deviated septum.
Affected person may get frequent nosebleeds, pain in the sinus areas due
to Sinusitis, headaches ,postnasal drip, snoring during sleep.
·
Headache - Sinusital
headache secondary to obstruction to drainage of sinuses. Neurological headache
when septum touches a sensitive part on the lateral wall of the nose.
·
Nose
bleeding - Little area the deviated side of the septum is exposed to
atmospheric directly predisposing to drying and crusting of mucosa and tendency
to pick the nose.
·
A
deviated septum may also cause sleep apnea, a condition in which a person stops
breathing during sleep.
·
Again
due to which a person doesn’t get enough deep sleep due to which suffers
from symptoms like fatigue, improper digestion, hyperacidity etc.
·
Deformity
of external nose.
·
Secondary
hypertrophy of turbinate.
·
Frequent
or recurring sinus infections
·
Recurrent
rhinitis i.e. nose.
Complications:
·
Recurrent
sinusitis due to obstruction to drainage of sinus.
·
Middle
ear infection due to forcible blockening of nose or recurrent upper respiratory
infection.
·
Mouth
breathing causing infection of pharynx, larynx, trachebronchial tree.
·
Asthma:
DNS acts as trigger for bronchospasm.
·
Atrophic
rhinitis on the root side of nose.
Prevention
You may be able to prevent the injuries to your
nose that can cause deviated septum with these precautions:
· Wear a helmet when
playing contact sports, such as football and hockey.
· Wear a seat
belt when riding in a motorized vehicle
Homoeopathic Management
Homoeopathy has a
great & valuable role in treating the effects of Deviated Nasal Septum by
enhancing or improving one’s Immune Power. So in spite of having the Deviated
septum a person will be symptom free. Treatment should be directed towards
symptomatic history like blockening of nose, recurrent upper respiratory tract
infection, sinusitis, epistaxis, headache, middle ear infection, spurs,
thickening.
Allium cepa - Sneezing, especially when entering a warm room. Copious, watery and
extremely acrid discharge. Feeling of a lump at root of nose. Hay-fever.
[Sabad.; Sil.; Psor.]. Fluent coryza with headache, cough, and hoarseness.
Polypus. Catarrhal headache, mostly in forehead; worse in warm room towards
evening. < evening, warm room. > open air, cold room.
Arsenic Album - Coryza with thin,
watery, excoriating discharge. Nose feels stopped up. Sneezing withoutrelief.
Hay-fever and coryza; worse in open air; better indoors. Burning and bleeding
from nose. Headaches relieves by cold, other symptoms worse.< wet weather,
after midnight; from cold, cold drinks, or food. Seashore. Right side. >
from heat; from head elevated; warm drinks.
Arum Triphyllum - Acridity is the keynote of the kind of action characteristic of
Arum. Soreness of nostrils. Acrid, excoriating discharge,producing raw sores.
Nose obstructed; must breathe through mouth. Boring in the nose. Coryza;
discharge blood-streaked, watery. Nose completely stopped, with fluent, acrid
discharge. Hay-fever, with pain over root of nose. Large scabs high up on right
side of nose. Face feels chapped, as if from cold wind; feels hot. Constant
picking at nose until it bleeds. Headache from too warm clothing, from hot
coffee. < northwest wind, lying down.
Arundo - A remedy for catarrhal states & Hay-fever. Hay-fever begins
with burning and itching of palate and conjunctiva. Annoying itching in the
nostrils and roof of the mouth. Coryza; loss of smell. Sneezing, itching of
nostrils.
Aurum Mettalicum - Indicated
for Ulcerated, painful, swollen, obstructed nose. Inflammation of nose; caries;
fetid discharge, purulent, bloody. Boring pains in nose; worse at night. Putrid
smell from nose. Sensitive smell. Horrible odor from nose and mouth. Knobby tip
of nose. < in cold weather when getting cold. Many complaints come on only
in winter; from sunset to sunrise
Euphrasia: Patient is better in
open air. Catarrhal affections of mucous membranes especially of eyes and nose.
Profuse acrid lachrymation and bland coryza; worse, evening. Hawking up of
offensive mucus. < in evening, indoors, warmth; south winds; from light.
Ferrum Phos - Useful medicine for
first stage of colds in the head. Predisposition to colds. Epistaxis; bright red
blood. The typical Ferr.phos subject is nervous, sensitive, anemic with the
false plethora and easy flushing of Ferrum. Indicted in pale, anaemic subjects,
with violent local congestions. Haemorrhages are bright from any orifice. <
at night and 4 to 6 p.m.; touch, jar, motion, right side. > by cold
applications.
Kali
Iod - The profuse,
watery, acrid coryza that the drug produces serves as a sure guiding symptom,
especially when associated with pain in frontal sinus. Violent headache in
which pain intense over eyes and root of nose. Nose is red, swollen. Tip of
nose red; profuse, acrid, hot, watery, thin discharge. Ozaena, with perforated
septum. Sneezing. Nasal catarrh, involving frontal sinus. Stuffiness and
dryness of nose, without discharge. Profuse, cool, greenish, unirritating
discharges. < warm clothing, warm room, at night, damp weather. > motion,
open air.
Merc Sol - Useful for Cold & Coryza in which there is much sneezing, in
sunshine. Coryza; acrid discharge, but too thick to run down the lip; worse,
warm room. Nostrils raw, ulcerated; nasal bones swollen. Yellow-green, fetid,
pus like discharge. Pain and swelling of nasal bones, and caries, with greenish
fetid ulceration. Nosebleed < at night. Copious discharge of corroding
mucus. < at night, wet, damp weather, lying on right side, perspiring; warm
room and warm bed.
Natrum Mur - Useful for violent,
fluent coryza, lasting from one to three days, then changing into stoppage of
nose, making breathing difficult. Discharge thin and watery, like raw white of
egg. Violent sneezing coryza. Infallible for stopping a cold commencing with
sneezing. Loss of smell and taste. Internal soreness of nose. Dryness. Frontal
sinus inflammation. < noise, music, warm room, lying down about 10 a. m;, at
seashore, mental exertion, consolation, heat, talking. > by open air, cold
bathing, going without regular meals, lying on right side; pressure against
back, tight clothing.
