Empty nose syndrome is a condition caused by the removal of nasal turbinates, which can lead to symptoms such as difficulty breathing, nasal infections, dryness, and sinus infections. The turbinates provide air resistance, increase air pressure, and humidify the air, and their removal can cause a range of negative effects.
Empty nose syndrome is a set of symptoms that occurs due to a patient not having adequate nasal turbinates, structures in the nose that provide the functions necessary for proper breathing. These nasal tissues can be lost through a turbinectomy, a surgery that removes some or all of the nasal turbinates. The result is that a patient’s nose appears hollow when viewed on a computed tomography (CT) scan, a phenomenon that led Dr. EB Kern, MD, to coin the phrase in the 1990s. Some of the symptoms of empty nose syndrome may include a patient feeling as if they are not inhaling enough air, nasal infections, pain and crusting in the nose.
One of the functions of the nasal turbinates is to convey to the brain the message that enough air passes through the nose for human survival. They also provide air resistance and increase air pressure, which allows the lungs to inflate and deflate properly. Some patients with empty nose syndrome may feel as if they are not inhaling enough air because the turbinates are not present to relay the appropriate information to the brain, to pressurize the air, and to provide air resistance. Other patients may feel like their noses are stuffy, and some feel like they are constantly choking. These feelings can also cause lack of concentration, anxiety and depression.
Without the humectant power of the turbinates, a person may also experience other symptoms of empty nose syndrome, namely dryness, pain, and burning. In a normally functioning body, the nose humidifies the air enough so that by the time it gets to the lungs, it’s about 98% humidity. The lungs need moist air to function properly, so without the turbinates present to humidify the air, the lungs may not be able to function as expected. Additionally, the turbinates trap moisture from the exhaled air through the nose and thus help prevent dehydration.
Removing the nasal turbinates can also lead to another symptom of empty nose syndrome: sinus infections. The turbinates trap foreign particles entering the nose, and without the turbinates, there is virtually nothing to stop these particles from entering the sinuses. Therefore, a person with this condition may find themselves battling sinus infections constantly. Sometimes these infections require the use of surgery to correct.
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