- A deviated nasal septum means that one nasal passage is narrower than the other
Patients with a ‘wry’ nose that causes breathing difficulties should be offered plastic surgery on the NHS, a study suggests.
The problem, known as a deviated nasal septum, is caused when one nasal passage is narrower than the other. It can occur naturally or can be caused by an injury to the nose.
Celebrities, including Friends star Jennifer Aniston and Hollywood actress Cameron Diaz, claim to have had nose jobs to correct the problem, and not for cosmetic reasons.
Although about 60 percent of the population has some form of a deviated septum, only those with the most severe problems that interfere with breathing need treatment.
First-line treatments are inexpensive steroid drug sprays that reduce swelling in the nose. Only if this proves ineffective will surgery be offered.
A deviated nasal septum occurs when one nasal passage is narrower than the other. It can occur naturally or can be caused by an injury to the nose
Celebrities, including Friends star Jennifer Aniston, claim to have had nose jobs to correct the problem, and not for cosmetic reasons
Although about 60 percent of the population has some form of a deviated septum, only those with the most serious problems that interfere with breathing need treatment (Photo: Hollywood actress Cameron Diaz)
But until now it was unclear how much more effective surgery is than medicine. Experts say this lack of data has led to a postcode lottery, with severely affected patients in some areas not being offered surgery.
The study, published in the British Medical Journal, involved around 400 people with a deviated septum.
Half of them underwent septoplasty, a surgical procedure that takes about 30 minutes and involves removing and relocating tissue and some bone in the nose. The other half received a daily nasal spray with steroids.
Six months after treatment, patients completed the Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-22 – aptly nicknamed SNOT-22 – which assesses 22 symptoms of a deviated nasal septum. The researchers found that patients who underwent surgery experienced, on average, half as many symptoms as those who used the steroid sprays.
‘A deviated septum not only affects your breathing,’ says Sean Carrie, a nose expert at Newcastle University and lead author of the study, ‘it can also affect the quality of your sleep, which can have serious long-term consequences for your health. can have. .
‘We are hopeful that our findings will ensure that patients who need surgery can get it, while patients with a milder form of the problem can avoid unnecessary surgery.’